Demolition of last Northwest aluminum smelter signals end of an era

The Alcoa Intalco smelter, once part of a thriving regional industry, is being demolished as the Pacific Northwest moves away from energy-intensive aluminum production.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 3:35am

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The Alcoa Intalco smelter, the last remaining aluminum smelter in the Pacific Northwest, has begun the process of demolition and cleanup. The smelter, which was once part of a thriving regional industry employing thousands, shut down in 2020 due to falling metal prices and the high cost of equipment modernization. The demolition marks the end of an era for the energy-intensive aluminum industry in the region, which once boasted 10 such smelters spread across Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Why it matters

The closure and demolition of the Intalco smelter represents the decline of the Pacific Northwest's once-thriving aluminum industry, which was fueled by the region's abundant hydroelectric power. As the industry has contracted, it has left behind environmental challenges and questions about the future use of these large industrial sites.

The details

Alcoa has started demolishing its Intalco smelter west of Ferndale, Washington, which was the last remaining aluminum smelter in the region. The multiyear demolition and cleanup project will remove the last vestiges of an industry that once employed around 11,000 people in the Northwest and consumed 3,150 average annual megawatts of electricity. The smelter, which opened in 1966, was the next-to-last to open and the last to shut down, as the industry gradually contracted over the past three decades due to rising electricity prices.

  • Alcoa began the Intalco smelter demolition sometime in 2025.
  • The state Department of Ecology published a draft cleanup roadmap for the closed smelter in late February 2026.
  • Ecology has scheduled an online webinar and public hearing for April 8, 2026 to discuss the demolition and cleanup plan.
  • Alcoa's contractor aims to tear down all the smelter buildings and alumina ore silos by the end of 2026 and complete any soil backfill and regrading by 2027.

The players

Alcoa

An American aluminum maker that operated the Intalco smelter, which was the last remaining aluminum smelter in the Pacific Northwest.

Shingo Yamazaki

The refinery and smelter unit supervisor for the Washington State Department of Ecology, who is overseeing the investigation and cleanup of the Intalco site.

Ander Russell

The co-executive director of the Bellingham-based environmental group RE Sources, which is likely to provide comments on the Intalco cleanup plan.

AltaGas

A Canadian energy company that has a contract to purchase the 1,600-acre Intalco smelter site from Alcoa, with plans to potentially develop a green hydrogen production facility on the property.

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What they’re saying

“Intalco certainly was one of the biggest air and water polluting industries in Whatcom County for a long time.”

— Ander Russell, Co-Executive Director, RE Sources

“If it's copacetic with the tribes, certainly we'd like to see more extensive clean energy development and I think hydrogen is part of the conversation.”

— Ander Russell, Co-Executive Director, RE Sources

What’s next

The state Department of Ecology will hold a public hearing on April 8, 2026 to discuss the demolition and cleanup plan for the Intalco smelter site. The agency will also accept written public comments on the plan through April 15, 2026.

The takeaway

The demolition of the Intalco smelter marks the end of an era for the Pacific Northwest's once-thriving aluminum industry, which was fueled by the region's abundant hydroelectric power. As the industry has contracted, it has left behind environmental challenges and questions about the future use of these large industrial sites. The proposed redevelopment of the Intalco site for green hydrogen production represents a potential step in a new direction, but the viability of this plan remains uncertain.