Major Novelis aluminum plant in New York experiences second fire in two months

A fire ignited Nov. 20 at US-based Novelis' critical Oswego, New York, facility, just two months after the plant was shut down after a major Sept. 16 fire, the aluminum producer said.

The September shutdown of the plant, which supplies 40% of the US auto sector's aluminum sheet, caused shockwaves in North American aluminum markets. American carmaker Ford was particularly hard hit, estimating that the incident would cost it up to $2 billion.

Novelis said Nov. 11 that it had made significant repairs following the September fire and was on track to restart hot mill operations by the end of December. The company did not say how the latest incident would impact the plant's restoration timeline, although some operations are back online.

"A fire started at Novelis' Oswego, New York, plant this morning," Novelis said in a Nov. 20 statement. "Everyone working at the plant was safely evacuated and fortunately, there were no injuries. Multiple local fire departments responded, and the fire is now out."

Novelis did not comment on the restart timeline for the plant's hot mill, which produces the aluminum sheet critical to US carmakers. However, other parts of the facility have restarted after the latest fire.

"As of this morning, the cold mill and heat treatment operations at the Novelis Oswego plant are back up and running," Novelis said in a Nov. 21 statement. "The facility continues to ship finished material to supply Ford. Novelis will continue to leverage alternate sources, including its global network of plants and industry peers, to mitigate impact."

The Oswego facility is Novelis' largest wholly owned rolling, recycling and fabrication facility in North America.

The September shutdown of the plant sparked concerns that aluminum would lose ground to steel.

US steel company Cleveland-Cliffs said Oct. 29 that it had begun supplying the US auto sector with steel substitutes for aluminum auto parts, exacerbating these worries.

Aluminum analysts with S&P Global Energyhad said the estimated restart of the plant by December would prevent any significant substitution trends.

The latest incident, however, may provide more opportunities for the steel sector to advance into aluminum territory if restart plans are delayed.

US aluminum markets have already been grappling with tight supply and record-high prices for most of 2025 due to US 50% tariffs on aluminum imports.

The Platts Spot 99.7% P1020 US Aluminum Transaction Premium was last assessed at 87.25 cents/lb plus London Metal Exchange cash, delivered Midwest, net-30-day payment terms, on Nov. 20.