[ferro-alloys.com]JW Aluminum temporarily shut its main Mt. Holly building sheet mill in Goose Creek, South Carolina, joining other metals companies preparing for a potential onslaught from Hurricane Florence, a company official said Thursday.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said JW closed Mt. Holly at 7 pm local time Wednesday and does not expect to reopen until Saturday, depending on weather conditions.

The Mt. Holly area was bracing for the major impact from the hurricane late Thursday night or Friday morning, the official said.

Nearby Nucor Steel Berkeley closed at 7 am local time Thursday in preparation for Florence, which has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane.

Century Aluminum 's 224,000 mt/year Mt. Holly smelter was still open, although it was operating only on as-needed basis, keeping with the plant's detailed operating plan.

Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility that supplies a fourth of the smelter's electricity, said Thursday it will have about 130 line and tree crews -- roughly four times the number during normal conditions -- working to restore any outages on its system.

• [Editor:王可]