Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) reported progress in restoring production at the company’s Al Taweelah site at the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi. The facilities — including the aluminum smelter and alumina refinery — were damaged by Iranian attacks that occured on on March 28.
Following the attacks, EGA had significant volumes of metal on the water and in warehouses in certain overseas locations at the start of the conflict, enabling the continued supply of metal to some customers. In addition, the Jebel Ali site in Dubai continued aluminum production at full capacity. Average daily inbound deliveries of all major raw materials currently exceed EGA’s requirements to maintain metal production at Jebel Ali and meet the demands of restoration at Al Taweelah, with raw material stocks on the ground in the UAE increasing.
Constraints on outbound logistics from March resulted in the temporary suspension of new shipment departures, and EGA built up significant inventory of finished metal on the ground in the UAE. The company has made progress in establishing alternative outbound logistics routes using ports outside the Strait of Hormuz. EGA is currently selling more metal than it is producing at Jebel Ali, with UAE stockpiles gradually reducing. A return to pre-crisis shipment levels is currently expected to depend on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite logistical and geopolitical disruptions arising from the regional Gulf conflict, EGA reported resilient financial performance in the first half of 2026.
Aluminum Smelter
EGA reported progress in the restoration of production at its Al Taweelah smelter, with key early milestones reached ahead of schedule. The company’s dedicated, experienced team has made rapid progress on repairs to damaged infrastructure. Basic utilities have been restored across the site, with natural gas and electricity availability projected to ramp up in line with the needs of the restart program.
“We are rapidly and safely actioning a clear, disciplined plan to restore production at Al Taweelah, which is one of the most important aluminum production complexes in the world,” said Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, chief executive officer of EGA. “All opportunities to accelerate the timeline further are being explored, and we will achieve our goal of emerging stronger than ever before. Our people have risen to this challenge, and I commend their continued heroism and dedication to EGA’s bright future.”
The Al Taweelah smelter produced 1.6 million tonnes of primary aluminum in 2025. To restore hot metal production at the smelter, EGA must progressively restore each of the 1,262 reduction cells. By early July, the company completed anode removal in all cells, bath cleaning in 90% of the cells, and frozen metal removal in 20% of the cells. The first restored reduction cell was restarted on May 26, and 89 reduction cells have been restarted as of July. EGA has since energized all three potlines, and as of August 10, 227 reduction cells (18% of the total) have been restarted.
Hot metal production will gradually ramp up as reduction cells are progressively restored. This process could take up to a year to reach pre-incident levels. However, EGA is working to accelerate this timeline.
Alumina Refinery
EGA restarted alumina production at its Al Taweelah site in early July, reaching 50% of pre-incident production levels. The alumina refinery is located next to the Al Taweelah smelter, with conveyor belts being used to transfer the alumina to storage and then into the smelter system. The refinery produced 2.4 million tonnes of alumina in 2025, and met 46% of EGA’s alumina needs.
“First alumina production from Al Taweelah alumina refinery is another big milestone in our journey to restore EGA’s Al Taweelah site to its position as one of the most important aluminum production complexes in the world,” said Kalban. “The dedication and agility of the team at Al Taweelah alumina refinery has enabled us to reach this milestone safely and quickly.”
The company expects to have the technical capability to reach full production by the end of this year. The timing of further production increases at Al Taweelah alumina refinery will be based on supply chain dynamics and the optimization of EGA’s alumina sourcing strategy. The continued recovery of aluminum production at Al Taweelah smelter does not depend on the refinery returning to full capacity.