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Article: Portland, Ore.-Area Aluminum Smelters Pursue Innovative Utility Plans.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
- Article date:
- December 27, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Dec. 27--Two aluminum smelters on opposite sides of the Columbia River announced plans Tuesday to shut down big portions of their operations so they can benefit from the Bonneville Power Administration's sale of unused electricity.
In a regional electricity market plagued by shortages and radically inflated prices, power-hog aluminum companies have found themselves in an unusual situation. If they continue to use low-cost power from federal dams, they could teeter on the edge of unprofitability.
If they resell that power on the open market, they could reap huge windfalls. When Kaiser Aluminum did that, it drew cries of "foul."
Union, state and ...