Top executives of India's Sumangala Steel plan to visit the New Madrid area of southeastern 

Missouri  on  Tuesday as they attempt to reach a final decision about where to locate  a new 

steel plant, a local official said Monday. 

Richard McGill,  New  Madrid's  city administrator,  told  S&P Global Platts in an interview that 

officials of the privately owned company are interested in meeting with potential suppliers and 

customers  of  the  steel  plant  plus  possible electricity providers -- "everybody that would be 

involved in hopefully getting a better picture if this would be the place for the mill." 

In  addition  to Missouri, at least two other states are believed to be in the final running for the 

plant. 

"Obviously,  since a  decision hasn't been made, there's still things to work out on a couple of 

different  fronts,"  he  said.  "We  think  a  site  decision will come soon. The company is doing 

its due diligence and making sure everything is in order." 

Citing a confidentiality agreement, McGill declined to say more about the steel plant except to 

express  confidence "there hasn't been anything that's really hurt our chances" of landing the 

facility. 

While  in  the  area,  Sumangala  officials  are  expected  to  hold  at  least  some  talks  in St. 

Louis, about 90 miles north of New Madrid. 

"We're  working  hard  this  week to nail down infrastructure  that  is needed for the plant, how 

much it will cost and where that money will come from," McGill said. 

Mc Gill  is  optimistic that economically challenged southeastern Missouri will secure either the 

steel plant and/or the reopening of the long-idled, 263,000 mt/year former Noranda Aluminum 

primary aluminum smelter in New Madrid. 

Noranda  shut  the  smelter  in  March  2016 not  long  after  it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 

reorganization on February 8. 

Switzerland-based ARG International, run by former Glencore trader Matt Lucke,subsequentl

y  bought  the  smelter  for  $13.7  million  in a  bankruptcy court-approved auction. ARG has

formed  Magnitude 7 Metals to try to reopen the smelter. 

On  June  15,  Missouri  Governor  Eric Greitens cleared the way for Magnitude 7 Metals and 

Sumangala to seek lower electricity rates for their respective projects in southeastern Missour

i by  signing  into  law  House Bill 1  after it was  overwhelmingly  approved  by  the  state General Assembly.