Mt. Holly Smelter Back Online | Lexington News

Lexington News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 28, 2026 · 1m

After a decade-long struggle, America’s Mt. Holly aluminum smelter in South Carolina has returned to full capacity — a major win for national security and domestic manufacturing. Facing foreign competition, soaring energy costs, and global overproduction, the plant scaled back to 75% capacity in 2017. But thanks to a new power deal with Santee Cooper and protective tariffs — especially those from the Trump era — it’s now humming at 100%. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called it a victory for fair trade and American jobs, stressing aluminum’s vital role in defense — from fighter jets to…