Smelter big news, important economically to bootheel region

By May, some 450 jobs will be added to the region, with potentially double that in the years to come.

In a major announcement last week, officials laid out the particulars for the re-emergence of an aluminum smelter in New Madrid, Missouri, where the average annual wage will be $64,000.

Last week's announcement has been two years in the making, after the company Noranda folded and closed its doors, citing electricity costs as a major factor in its demise, as well as global trade pressures.

As reported by Mark Bliss, the new company is a 100 percent American company. Swiss-based company ARG International assigned its rights to the Noranda plant to Magnitude 7 in bankruptcy proceedings. Magnitude 7 Metals then bought the Noranda plant in October 2016, he said.

The company, according to Bliss' reporting, has reached agreement on the purchase of power from Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., which is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, Iowa and Oklahoma.

A lot of moving parts had to come together to make this development happen. On the political side, state Rep. Don Rone has been the project's most vocal champion. U.S. Rep. Jason Smith also played a role.

But there is still much work to be done. The New Madrid region took a huge economic hit when the smelter closed two years ago. We know that the Southeast Missouri region will take pride in filling the jobs and producing aluminum again.

Congrats to all involved. This is big news for Southeast Missouri.