EGA’s New Al Taweelah Alumina Refinery Records Production Milestone

Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas, has announced that its Al Taweelah alumina refinery, the first in the UAE, has delivered sustained monthly production at or above nameplate capacity each month for the past three months.

EGA’s aluminium is the largest Made in UAE export after oil and gas and has made the UAE the fifth-largest national producer of aluminium in the world.

The milestone marks the completion of a world-class ramp-up of Al Taweelah alumina refinery, and was achieved within 21 months of the start of production despite the challenges of a global pandemic.

The Al Taweelah alumina refinery has the capacity to produce some 2 million tonnes of alumina per year, enough to meet 40% of EGA’s needs. Alumina is the main feedstock for aluminium smelters.

Al Taweelah alumina refinery’s production replaces some imports, further increasing the economic impact of the UAE’s aluminium sector which contributes some $5 billion each year to the nation’s economy and supports one in every 100 UAE jobs.

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The ramp-up at Al Taweelah alumina refinery has been delivered with an excellent safety performance, with zero injuries leading to time off work.

EGA’s Chief Executive Officer, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, said: “The safe and efficient ramp-up of production at Al Taweelah alumina refinery is the result of meticulous planning and determined execution.

"I commend the entire team for their world-class performance in delivering this massive task.”

Construction of the Al Taweelah alumina refinery took 72 million hours of work and cost some $3.3 billion.

The project was developed as part of EGA’s strategic expansion upstream in the aluminium value chain to create an integrated global aluminium giant.

The company also built a bauxite mine in the Republic of Guinea, which began exports of the ore from which aluminium is derived in August 2019.

More than 570 operational workers are employed at Al Taweelah alumina refinery.

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