Inola aluminum project’s $100,000 pay average includes overtime, company says

The roughly $100,000 average annual pay projected for Oklahoma Primary Aluminum’s proposed Inola plant includes overtime and cash benefits, the company told North Atlanta Star in written responses.

The clarification gives prospective workers more detail about the compensation behind the project’s jobs pitch. But the company did not provide base-pay ranges for production and maintenance positions or explain how much overtime is built into the average.

Kamball Schafferius, identified by the company as working in human resources for Emirates Global Aluminium, said the figure covers positions ranging from entry-level workers to superintendents and beyond.

“We anticipate that even our entry level roles will be earning in excess of $50-60,000 per annum with additional benefits,” Schafferius said.

The company expects many positions to pay more than $100,000 annually. It did not specify whether the entry-level estimate also includes overtime.

Those figures represent anticipated compensation for the proposed operation, rather than announced job offers.

Technical training expected for entry-level jobs

Schafferius said most entry-level operations positions, including operators and technicians, would require graduates of technical training institutions. Engineering and other senior positions would require university degrees appropriate to the work.

The operation would also offer opportunities in nontechnical fields, including finance and human resources, according to the response.

The company said it has begun discussing partnerships with Tulsa Tech, Northeast Tech, Tulsa Community College, Rogers State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma, among other institutions.

The goal is to prepare graduates for apprenticeships and trainee positions while helping workers from other industries retrain for jobs at the plant, Schafferius said.

The response did not identify signed training agreements, enrollment dates or programs currently accepting applicants.

Schafferius said the company aims to hire the vast majority of its workforce locally. It did not provide a numerical local-hiring target.

No detailed update on construction or hiring dates

The company’s answers follow North Atlanta Star’s reporting on the proposed plant and its permit dispute.

Asked how the permit moratorium and proposed referendum affect construction and hiring, Oklahoma Primary Aluminum Project Director Ziad Fares said: “We are confident that the project will remain on schedule.”

The response did not provide construction or hiring dates, explain how the dispute affects individual milestones, or describe plans for potential delays.

Company outlines proposed emissions limit

Asked about residents’ concerns over emissions, water use and infrastructure, Fares described a plant designed with modern technology, multiple layers of emissions controls and ongoing monitoring.

He said the company announced a 37% reduction in its proposed fluoride emissions limit in August, bringing the proposed ceiling to 0.64 pounds per U.S. ton of aluminum produced.

Fares emphasized that the figure is a proposed permit limit, not a prediction of day-to-day emissions. The company expects actual emissions to be lower, he said, but testing after the facility begins operating would be needed to establish how much lower.

According to Fares, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s technical review includes emissions controls, air-dispersion modeling using local weather and terrain, and potential effects on soil and vegetation.

He said the operation would also be subject to monitoring, reporting and other regulatory requirements once operating.

The response did not provide specific commitments on water use or local infrastructure, both of which North Atlanta Star had asked about.

For prospective workers, the company’s answers offer an initial picture of anticipated earnings and qualifications. Base hourly wages, expected overtime, confirmed training programs and application dates remain unspecified.