Brimstone, a U.S.-based innovator in alumina and other industrial materials, and Century Aluminum, the largest American primary aluminum producer, today announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would establish a domestic “mine to metal” supply chain for primary aluminum production. Under the agreement, Brimstone will supply Century with significant volumes of alumina—the key ingredient in aluminum—from its forthcoming plant, underscoring a shared commitment to strengthening national security through a reliable, U.S.-based aluminum supply chain using American feedstock. The agreement adds momentum to Brimstone’s industrial-scale plant, anchoring the first aluminum supply chain to be fully sourced and produced in the U.S. The MOU reinforces domestic supply chain resilience and reduces reliance on overseas supplies, which are currently vulnerable to political, military, or other disruptions.
“Foreign sources, including China, currently dominate global alumina production. Brimstone is bringing alumina production home and doing it at a globally competitive price,” said Cody Finke, CEO of Brimstone. “Brimstone is upending the massive global imbalance by producing alumina from rock quarried here in the United States. Our partnership with Century is building a resilient domestic critical minerals supply chain—strengthening national security, reducing import dependence, and creating high-quality American jobs.”
Alumina production today requires bauxite, an ore concentrated in subtropical regions overseas. No economically mineable bauxite deposits exist in the U.S., forcing domestic aluminum smelters to rely solely on imports. As a result, primary aluminum—a critical mineral essential to defense, transportation, and infrastructure—is fully dependent on imported alumina or alumina feedstock, leaving American supply chains vulnerable.
Brimstone’s process completely avoids the need for bauxite, instead using a common, calcium-bearing silicate feedstock. This rock is abundant worldwide and widely available in the United States—clearing a path for both alumina and aluminum to be produced domestically.
“We continue to do our part to revitalize primary aluminum production in the U.S. This MOU with Brimstone represents another step forward in our objective to grow domestic capacity of this critical metal, which is essential in everyday life, including key civilian and national defense industries,” said Matt Aboud, senior vice president of strategy at Century Aluminum. “Securing additional domestic supply of alumina will encourage growth by making domestic production more efficient and cost-effective.”
Century recently announced a joint project with Emirates Global Aluminum to build the largest primary aluminum production plant ever constructed in the U.S.—and the first new domestic smelter in nearly 50 years—in Inola, Oklahoma. At full operation, the Inola plant will double domestic capacity. That announcement came after Century announced last fall plans to restart idle capacity at its Mt. Holly, S.C., plant, a $50 million investment that created over 100 jobs. The first metal from Mt. Holly’s restart comes this spring, with the immediate impact of increasing domestic capacity by 10 percent.
Though it was once a leading producer, today the U.S. imports most of its primary aluminum. China is responsible for about 60% of global production of both alumina and aluminum, while the U.S. directly produces less than one–sixth of the aluminum it consumes. Aluminum demand has risen dramatically in recent years, with experts predicting a 40% surge by 2030 driven by grid infrastructure, the AI data center boom, and defense needs, further exacerbating supply chain pressures.
The Brimstone Rock Refinery® leverages co-production—an industrial strategy pioneered by oil and gas—to refine a single rock into multiple essential materials and critical minerals, including cement, steel, magnesium, and titanium. Its industry-standard, domestically produced alumina will help smelters like Century meet rising demand and establish a reliable, entirely U.S.-made supply of high-quality aluminum—without the disruptions and price volatility that dominate today’s supply chains.
Brimstone is currently developing its commercial demonstration plant in Reno, Nevada, anticipated to be operational in 2028. The company’s first industrial-scale plant is anticipated to be completed by 2034 with an expected annual production capacity of approximately 350,000 metric tons of SGA. Brimstone is engaging with potential customers and partners across its expanded product portfolio, which includes cement, steel, and critical minerals.
About Brimstone:
Brimstone developed a breakthrough process to co-produce multiple essential industrial materials, including cement, steel and critical minerals. The company was founded in 2019 to develop next-generation industrial processes optimized for economics, efficiency, and sustainability. Brimstone has raised more than $80M to date from leading investors, including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, DCVC, Collaborative Fund, Amazon Climate Pledge, Fifth Wall, S2G Ventures, Acceler8, GVP Climate, Impact Science Ventures, Osage University Partners, SystemIQ, and Kajima Ventures. To learn more or get in touch, please visit Brimstone.com.
About Century Aluminum Company
With its corporate headquarters located in Chicago, IL, Century Aluminum owns and operates primary aluminum smelting facilities in the United States and Iceland and is the majority owner and managing partner of the Jamalco alumina refinery in Jamaica. Visit www.centuryaluminum.com for more information.
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