Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. says it will extend operations through October, after it had previously decided the plant would shut down in September.
Company spokesman Haley Beaudry said the plant learned on Sept. 9 that it would stay open for another month. They were expecting to close Sept. 30 after their contract with Bonneville Power runs out.
Beaudry said CFAC does not have a long-term agreement in place with Bonneville Power past September, and that the power company agreed to let CFAC shop in the open market to buy power without jeopardizing its position as a Bonneville customer.
The aluminum plant is still negotiating for a long-term agreement, Beaudry said, but it has made the decision to operate through October and is still in the open market for power.
There have been shutdown announcements at CFAC since December, when the company gave 200 workers 60-days notice of closure because of increased costs for raw products and decreased costs for aluminum. The plant remained open through July, however, running on decreased capacity.
Workers were given another 60-day notice of closure in July, but production was extended again through August.