Century Aluminum sells Hawesville plant to TeraWulf affiliate for AI data center

By Global Infrastructure Sherpa · Feb 2, 2026

Divestiture Data Center closed Hawesville, Kentucky, USA Feb 2, 2026

USD200M

Deal Value

480 MW

Capacity

early_development

Stage

Hawesville facility

Project

Century Aluminum Co. has completed the sale of its idled Hawesville, Kentucky aluminum smelter to Justified DataPower LLC, an affiliate of TeraWulf Inc. The 750-acre brownfield site will be transformed into a data center campus for AI and high-performance computing. The transaction includes $200 million in cash and a 6.8% non-dilutive minority equity stake in Raylan Data Holdings LLC. Century retains a non-controlling interest in the project.

Deal Analysis

Century Aluminum's divestiture of its idled Hawesville, Kentucky aluminum smelter to Justified DataPower LLC, an affiliate of TeraWulf Inc., marks a significant shift in asset utilization. The 750-acre brownfield site will be repurposed into a 480 MW data center campus catering to AI and high-performance computing. The transaction, valued at $200 million in cash plus a 6.8% non-dilutive minority equity stake in Raylan Data Holdings LLC, allows Century Aluminum to monetize a non-core asset while retaining a non-controlling interest in the project's future upside. Emirates Global Aluminium is also a partner in the project. This deal underscores the growing demand for data center infrastructure driven by the expansion of AI and high-performance computing applications. The conversion of an existing industrial site offers a potentially faster and more cost-effective route to deploying new data center capacity compared to greenfield development. The involvement of TeraWulf, a company focused on digital infrastructure, and the equity stake retained by Century Aluminum suggest a strategic alignment to capitalize on the burgeoning data center market.

Century Aluminum divests idled Hawesville smelter for $200M + equity stake.
TeraWulf affiliate to develop a 480 MW data center campus.
Brownfield site repurposing offers potential advantages over greenfield development.
Deal reflects strong demand for data center capacity driven by AI.

Market Context: The data center market is experiencing rapid growth, fueled by increasing demand for cloud computing, AI, and high-performance computing. North America, particularly the USA, is a key region for data center development, with Kentucky representing an emerging location due to factors such as land availability and energy costs.