Slovakia and Slovalco secure restart of aluminium smelter in Žiar nad Hronom

The Slovak government has signed agreements to restart primary aluminium production at Slovalco, which had been idle since 2022 because of high energy prices. Slovalco commits to resume production, invest in modernisation and decarbonisation and maintain employment; the state compensates indirect carbon costs, reduces contributions to the nuclear fund and secures electricity for up to ten years through the state-owned Vodohospodárska výstavba. The government hopes for partial production in 2026 and full operation in 2027; the source gives neither investment amount nor job numbers (STVR, 2 Jul 2026).