The curtain has finally fallen on the Aldel aluminum smelter; the company was declared bankrupt. Aldel had already received a moratorium on payments from the court in Groningen this week.

The factory hadn’t had its own aluminum production for some time because of high energy prices, which left 120 people on the streets.

Due to the import and processing of aluminium, part of the workforce continued to work, but in September production was completely stopped and the remaining 200 employees were laid off. Aldel had hoped that the shutdown would be temporary and that a restart would save the company. A number of employees stayed to keep the factory in good working order.

curator at work

In the past few weeks, the company has tried unsuccessfully to solve the payment problems with the help of external financiers. A court-appointed insolvency administrator is now looking for candidates who want to take over the insolvent factory.

Even before the current high energy prices, Aldel had a mixed record. The company has already gone bankrupt twice, in 2013 and 2017.