Wenatchee aluminum smelter restarting 3rd potline

Alcoa plans to fire up the third potline at the Wenatchee Works smelter on Tuesday.

About 80 new employees have been working since last month to restart the line that was shut down in 2001.

Plant manager Nik Winjum told The Wenatchee World it will take about three weeks to get the line fully energized and running.

The new line will boost annual production from 100,000 metric tons to 148,000 metric tons. At its peak in the 1960s the plant produced 210,000 tons of aluminum a year.