Alcoa delays Liberty Mine expansion in Warrick County
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Pittsburgh-based Alcoa Corp. is putting a planned expansion of its Liberty Mine in Warrick County on hold.
The company, which operates an aluminum smelting operation in Newburgh, confirmed to Inside INdiana Business it has instead secured agreements to purchase coal from the market.
The coal mine is located just outside of Boonville, about 20 miles north of Newburgh, and provided coal to fuel the Warrick Operations.
Alcoa had sought to expand the mine by more than 3,500 acres, according to a rezoning petition filed with the Warrick Area Plan Commission. That petition has now been pulled from the commission’s agenda.
Alcoa provided the following statement to IIB:
“A reliable source of affordable energy is an important component to helping Warrick Operations compete in a global market. These agreements provide a competitive source of fuel while maintaining the company’s coal reserves at the Liberty Mine as a viable option for the future and ensuring the Warrick smelter remains competitive.
Alcoa continues to consider all options for energy supply, including opportunities at Liberty Mine or from other suppliers. The now canceled zoning request was for land within the existing mine permit area and would operate with the same commitment to respecting the environmental, safety and welfare requirements, as well as federal, state and local regulations.”
Our partners at WEHT-TV report the move follows opposition from area landowners, who were worried about the impact the mine’s expansion would have on their property.
Jeremy Stratton, who owns property across from the mine where he and his wife, Caitlin, plan to build their family’s home, said the decision by Alcoa provided a sense of relief.
“I’ve had so much anxiety built up about, ‘Okay, what are we going to do?’ and then immediately, it all let down, and I was like, ‘Holy cow, some sort of relief,'” Stratton said. “We want to be good neighbors, but part of having a good neighborhood is setting boundaries, and stating what your intentions are on your plot of land, and maybe working together in the future to make sure that everybody can coincide together in this paradise we call home.”
Alcoa’s Warrick Operations is currently facing a lawsuit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, which is accusing the plant of violating its permit by exceeding chemical discharge levels over a several year period.