Posts Tagged ‘Alcoa’
Alcoa Pays Chelan PUD $62 Million, Says Reopening Of Malaga Smelter Still Possible
Yesterday, Tuesday June 19, was the deadline for Alcoa to either restart the smelter in Malaga or pay $62.4 million to the Chelan PUD. The global distributor of aluminum and bauxite announced Monday evening it will permanently close one of five potlines at the fully curtailed facility and make the payment to the PUD. The…
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Alcoa Meets With Local Leaders, No Decision Yet On Reopening Malaga Smelter
The strain on both the local economy and residents laid off from Alcoa’s Wenatchee Works smelter are still being felt across the two-county area. Following the idling of the plant’s main operations in December of 2015, the question has been: Will it ever reopen. A June deadline means Alcoa has to make a decision on…
Read MoreChelan PUD Board Approves One-Year Alcoa Contract Extension
Chelan County PUD Commissioner’s approved a contract extension with Alcoa yesterday, a move they said will preserve the opportunity to further consider restarting its aluminum smelter located south of Wenatchee. Alcoa will make a $7.3 million partial payment, with the balance of the $67 million payment due in a year. PUD Commissioner Garry Arseneault joins Chris Hansen to…
Read MoreAlcoa, Chelan PUD Negotiating Smelter Idling Fee Extension
Negotiations between the Chelan County PUD and Alcoa Corp. over the idled Wenatchee Works smelter are coming to a head. PUD Commissioners yesterday reviewed a staff recommendation to proceed with a contract amendment negotiated with Alcoa that would give Alcoa more time to decide whether to restart the aluminum smelter. The proposed amendment would allow…
Read MoreNew Tourism, Healthcare Jobs Bring Drop in Local Unemployment Rate
The latest jobs report is in for Chelan and Douglas Counties from the state Employment Security Department. February job stats show continued growth in the tourism and healthcare industries, along with more people in the labor force. Economist Don Meseck covers North Central Washington and told KOHO’s Dan Langager the local economy has started to…
Read MoreDespite Alcoa Smelter Curtailment, Local Economy Sees Moderate Growth in 2016
The latest employment numbers are in for Chelan and Douglas Counties, what’s known as the Wenatchee MSA – Metropolitan Statistical Area. Dan Langager talked with Regional Labor Economist Don Meseck to recap big industry changes in 2016 and how the local economy is shaping up for 2017.
Read MoreChelan PUD Reassigning Alcoa Contract After Wenatchee Smelter Idle
Chelan PUD commissioners are working to reassign the current power contracts with Alcoa Inc. for its Wenatchee smelter to a new entity before the corporation splits in two Nov. 1. Alcoa announced the division into two stand-alone companies a year ago, but just recently set the Nov. 1 effective date. The new Alcoa Corp. will include the alumina…
Read MoreLocal Economy Loses 100 Jobs, Alcoa Closure Impact Continues
The latest jobs numbers are in for Chelan and Douglas Counties, what’s known as the Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. As is probably no surprise, the local economy is still feeling the hit from the closure of Alcoa’s smelter in Malaga. Construction jobs are also down, but tourism and retail saw modest growth last month. Dan…
Read MoreLoss of Alcoa, Construction Jobs Take Continued Toll on Local Employment
The latest job stats are in for Chelan and Douglas Counties from the state’s Employment Security Department. They show the continued impacts of Alcoa’s smelter shutdown in Malaga, trending declines in construction jobs and also big gains in retail. For more on the latest with employment for our two-county area, Dan Langager filed this report.
Read MoreLocal Employment Update
In Chelan-Douglas Counties, the manufacturing industry lost 400 jobs in February and March, all of them former employees of Alcoa’s Wenatchee Works smelter. And those jobs are gone for good unless the plant reopens or a similar one comes to town. Other industries, like retail and leisure and hospitality, are going gangbusters. Dan sits down…
Read MoreLocal Employment Update
Unemployment in Chelan-Douglas Counties remains higher so far this year than all of 2015, largely due to the curtailment of Alcoa’s smelter. For the month of February, nonfarm job growth remained steady and more people entered the work force, but major losses in construction and a rising unemployment rate hamper the positive services growth. For…
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