BUCKHANNON — More than 80 workers will be affected by a global company’s announced closure of its Upshur County plant.

Novelis ALR Rolled Products announced the planned “total closure” of the plant in a letter to Buckhannon and state officials dated March 15.

The letter stated the plant will close for good on June 13.

No reason was given for the decision to close the plant.

The Buckhannon plant is located on Route 20. The plant was previously operated by Aleris Rolled Products, before that company was purchased by Novelis in 2020.

Fire departments from multiple counties helped fight a blaze at the Aleris plant in 2018, which caused extensive damage.

The building was constructed in 1999.

Earlier this year, Novelis announced it had filed paperwork for an initial public offering of its stock.

In February, Novelis announced that estimated capital costs to construct a new plant in Bay Minette, Alabama had increased to $4.1 billion, about 65% higher than the company’s original estimate of $2.5 billion.

Novelis is the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminum products and the world’s largest recycler of aluminum. The company recycles more than 82 million aluminum cans annually, according to its website.

Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, an industry leader in aluminum and copper and metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India.

Novelis has 33 facilities worldwide, and employs more than 13,170 people in nine countries.