Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) broke ground on the construction of ten pilot reduction cells for EX, the company’s next generation smelting technology, at its Al Taweelah smelting facility. The pilot will not only prove the cell technology, but also the advanced Industry 4.0 capabilities of the design, building on EGA’s existing R&D and Industry 4.0 leadership.
“For over 30 years, EGA has been at the forefront of aluminium smelting innovation,” said Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, chief executive officer of EGA. “Today, we stand at a transformative crossroads. The construction of our EX pilot reduction cells is not just a technological milestone, it is the foundation for a future of smart solutions to improve efficiency and ultimately sustainability. Our bold goal is to create a self-optimizing, autonomous production system that can be the most efficient in the world. This innovation is central to EGA’s growth strategy and our commitment to shaping a sustainable future for our industry.”
EGA’s DX+ Ultra is already one of the most efficient smelting technologies in the global aluminum industry. The new EX technology aims to increase production capacity by up to 22% and has been designed using with less energy and lower emissions.
EX has two variants — one for maximum productivity and the other to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. The next generation technology is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of aluminum produced by around 5% for the more productive variant and around 12% for the lower energy variant.
The EX technology design incorporates provisions for advanced Internet of Things sensors and connections to enable real-time data gathering and even greater application of Industry 4.0.
Applying Industry 4.0
EGA launched its digital transformation in 2021, aiming to enhance every aspect of its operations and business, while upgrading customer and employee experience and ultimately creating new revenue streams. The company has already developed Industry 4.0 use case, including pot failure prediction, dynamic shift life prediction, and the use of artificial intelligence vision-enabled smart cranes. So far, EGA has implemented more than 80 Industry 4.0 use cases, unlocking some $100 million in value.
The company also built important digital foundations, including one of the region’s first digital manufacturing hybrid cloud platforms with Microsoft and the region’s first 100% renewable energy-powered industrial data centers at Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, reducing the emissions from EGA’s computing. The company has also upskilled some 3,000 employees in digital capabilities and ways of working.
With this new EX pilot project, the company intends to utilize all its existing Industry 4.0 use cases in EX technology, and develop new state-of-the-art digital capabilities centered on artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics. The technology implements more sensors and data, with the aim of deploying artificial intelligence for autonomous control of pots, cranes and vehicles, enabling further optimization and integration of all potline processes, reducing disruptions, and improving efficiency. Machine learning will enable continuous process improvement and increasingly precise task planning to reach the full theoretical performance capabilities of EX technology.
Moving Forward
EGA completed the core design phase of its new EX smelting technology in June 2024, and has since been working on detailed engineering for the installation at Al Taweelah. EX reduction cells are larger than EGA’s most recently industrialised technology DX+ Ultra, enabling higher amperage and improved current efficiency.
First hot metal from the pilot reduction cells is expected in the first half of 2025. The target is that EX will be ready for large-scale industrialization, including advanced Industry 4.0 capabilities, by 2028.