Hydroelectric dams, built by the federal government on the Columbia River to create jobs during the Great Depression, generated a huge surplus of power that could be sold for far less than in other regions. More smelters were built during World War II to supply the aluminum used by Boeing to build B-17 Flying Fortresses and other military aircraft. But years ago, plagued by uncertain supplies and given improved methods for transporting materials from virtually anywhere, the company started signing long-term contracts with producers around the world. Aluminum literally comes from everywhere, hundreds and hundreds of mills. Despite the new broader market for buying aluminum, the nation's demand for the lightweight metal is growing.
Aluminum accounts for about three quarters of the materials used in making aircraft.
But automakers, too, are using more aluminum in trucks and cars to limit pollution and improve performance by making vehicles lighter. Smelters in Northwest can make as much as 1.8 million metric tons of aluminum a year, or about 43 percent of nation's capacity. More than 1.2 million metric tons of that capacity has been idled by the energy crisis of the past eight months. Low-cost power has been a primary reason the aluminum makers stay in the Northwest. Three years ago, electricity costs in Washington, Idaho and Oregon ranked in the bottom five of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of Energy said.