Early Aluminum Production in the Pacific Northwest [History]

Aluminum is the most common metal in the Earth´s crust, and various natural oxides of aluminum are found in many forms. Pure aluminum metal is produced by reducing the oxide in an electrolytic reduction cell. So while the raw material component of the final cost of metallic aluminum is quite low, the cost of energy to produce the metal can be significant. Hence, the aluminum smelting industry tends to locate in areas where the cost of electrical energy is low.