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Century Aluminum Says It Won't Lay Off Sebree Workers

Credit Flickr/Creative Commons/Pete Prodoehl

A company official says the Century Aluminum plant in Sebree won't have to cut back production and lay off workers after all.

The company announced last month that it planned to close a production line by Dec. 31 and cut a third of its workforce, but The Gleaner reported on Friday that Century Aluminum President Michael Bless said in a statement the western Kentucky plant will continue to operate at full capacity.

When the closure was announced, Bless said the company was struggling to compete with the low prices of subsidized Chinese aluminum.

Bless now says access to low-cost market power gave the plant a competitive advantage over many other smelters in the U.S. and allowed it to continue operating.

The Sebree plant has about 525 workers.