Novelis reveals costs to repair fire damage to Oswego, New York, site

Following two major fires Sept. 16, 2025, and Nov. 20, 2025, and a smaller one between those two incidents, at its Oswego, New York, aluminum facility, Atlanta-based Novelis filed for financial assistance Dec. 29, 2025, from the Oswego County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to help with the $255 million in repairs to the site. The IDA approved the application Jan. 7.

According to the application Novelis filed with the IDA, repairs to the building will cost $187 million. Additional costs include $2 million in engineering fees, $61 million in equipment and machinery and $5 million in “other” costs.

In the application, Novelis notes that it has invested $165 million in the project through Dec. 29, 2025.

Novelis was granted its request for an exemption from sales and use taxes associated with the renovations. The financial assistance through exemptions is estimated at $15 million.

The September fire affected the hot mill's structural surroundings, primarily the roof, according to the application Novelis filed. Other areas of the plant were affected by the 5 million gallons of water used in fire suppression efforts. Novelis anticipated three months to recover from the first fire, previously communicating a December 2025 restart. Then the November fire occurred, which was contained to the hot mill and hot mill motor room, the same general area as the fire Sept. 16. However, the Nov. 20 fire damaged the hot mill's finishing mill.

“The finishing mill parts are highly specialized, and all need to be inspected for reconditioning or rebuilding needs," Novelis says in the application. "Due to this, a recovery timeline is still to be determined.”

Novelis says the rebuilding and replacement project will help retain 1,122 full-time and four part-time employees at the site with a current annual Oswego County payroll and benefits expenditure of approximately $180 million. It also will support Novelis’ continued local spending on services and the local supply chain.

The Oswego facility produces more than a billion pounds of aluminum sheet annually, serving the automotive, beverage can and building and construction markets. Ford is among the automakers Novelis supplies.