MASSENA — Alcoa’s Massena Operations was one of the stops during a statewide Manufacturing Week bus tour by the Business Council of New York State.
It was part of a six-region tour of the state to visit manufacturing facilities, Communications Director Patrick Bailey said. Joining them Monday in Massena was Assemblyman Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown.
“The way we do the stops is we come in, we do a little briefing, everybody says hi to everybody, and we do a tour,” Bailey said.
He said this week’s visit was an offshoot of a competition the Business Council held last year, called “Coolest Things Made in New York.” Alcoa’s Massena Operations made it to the finals before losing to NightRide Thermal Inc., which makes thermal cameras.
“As a state-wide chamber and the Manufacturing Association, we do two of those things — the Coolest Things contest and this tour, and we tie them together. So, that’s why were here this year. We’ve been trying to get up here for two years now,” he said.
All together, he said the tour bus would be traveling to several locations throughout the state this week, including Massena, Saratoga, Watertown, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Elmira, Rockland and Westchester counties.
The guests visited three areas at the plant — the baking furnace, where a capital project was taking place; the pot rooms to see where materials are turned into aluminum; and the cast house, where the melted aluminum becomes the finalized product.
Plant Manager Ingolfur Helgason said Alcoa had been a longtime partner in the Massena community.
“We have been operating here since 1902. So, this is the oldest continuous aluminum production in the world. We’re pretty proud of that,” he said. “The plant, of course, has gone through multiple stages and upgrades and all kinds of stuff here over the years. But, still, we have been making aluminum in this area for 123 years.”
“Alcoa has a long history in the north country, and we’re glad to have them here, and we think we’re going to keep them around for the foreseeable future,” Gray said.
Helgason said the Massena plant was smaller compared to some other facilities.
“So, that’s one of our issues. It’s hard to be competitive when you’re small,” he said.
However, he added, Massena had the advantage of adding products and experienced employees.
“So, that’s a huge advantage,” Helgason said.
He said more changes would be coming in the future.
“Massena has been up and down over the years, and lately it’s been pretty underinvested, and we want to change that. We want to build a future for Massena,” he said.
Investment would be a key word, Helgason said. New York Power Authority trustees have approved an agreement to keep Alcoa in Massena for at least 10 years, and up to 20 years if Alcoa meets employment and capital investment commitments.
At their July 29 meeting, trustees had approved a 240 megawatt allocation of Preservation Power to Alcoa for an initial term of 10 years, with an option for Alcoa to extend the term for two additional five-year periods if specific capital investment and employment commitments are met.
The approval is based on Alcoa’s commitment to maintain at least 500 full-time jobs, an increase of 50 jobs from the current 450 job target in the current contract, and to make a capital investment of at least $30 million ($3 million per year over 10 years) at the facility that will use the Preservation Power allocation.
If Alcoa elects the first five-year extension, it will be required to invest $85 million for the 15-year term, If Alcoa elects the second five-year extension, it will be required to invest $145 million over the 20-year term.
“If we don’t invest, we will just go back, and that’s what we want to change,” Helgason said.
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