FERNDALE — Alcoa now says it will not idle its aluminum smelter in Ferndale, Washington, until the end of June.
The metals maker announced Tuesday that it would keep Intalco Works smelter open a while longer because changes in energy and raw material costs have made it cheaper to keep the smelter operating so it can provide molten metal to the plant’s casthouse.
The plant was initially scheduled to be idled by March.
The company announced in November that it would idle two smelters in Washington state, including one near Wenatchee, as part of a larger plan to shrink aluminum output. Alcoa plans to continue operating the casthouse in Ferndale.
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