Kentucky foresees ripple effects from Braidy project

An economic impact study prepared by the Commonwealth of Kentucky has estimated the Braidy Industries Inc. aluminum plant being built near Ashland, Kentucky, will generate $2.8 billion for the Bluegrass State’s economy.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is itself a $15 million investor in the project, while a company affiliated with Russia-based Rusal has recently agreed to invest $200 million for a 40 percent stake in the aluminum production and rolling facility.

The report was prepared by a team led by James V. Koch, a professor at Old Dominion University in Virginia. He says he calculated the economic impact effects produced by the introduction of the Braidy Atlas plant into the regional economy, from construction through the first year of production in 2021. His study found that Braidy will generate $2.8 billion in economic growth in Kentucky, with $1.54 billion of that in a six-county Eastern Kentucky region.

More on the facility and its projected presence in the aluminum scrap sector in the United States can be found in this Recycling Today interview of Brady Atlas President Thomas Modrowski.