EGA restarts 89 Al Taweelah cells after March 28 Iranian attack

Dubai: Emirates Global Aluminium has restarted 89 reduction cells at its Al Taweelah site in Abu Dhabi, marking early progress in the restoration of one of the world’s major aluminium production complexes after it sustained significant damage in March.

The company said key early milestones in the restart programme had been reached ahead of schedule, although hot metal production at Al Taweelah could take up to a year to return to pre-incident levels.

The site was damaged on March 28 after Iranian attacks on Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi led to an emergency shutdown. Two EGA employees were hospitalised after the incident and have since been discharged to continue their recoveries.

EGA said it had set up a dedicated team to deliver a safe and efficient restart of the Al Taweelah facilities.

Repairs to damaged infrastructure have moved quickly, with basic utilities restored across the site. Natural gas and electricity availability are expected to increase in line with the restart programme.

Restoring hot metal production requires EGA to progressively bring back each of the site’s 1,262 reduction cells. Anode removal has been completed at all cells, bath cleaning is complete at around 90% and frozen metal has been removed from more than 20% of the cells.

The first restored reduction cell was restarted on May 26, and 89 cells have now been brought back into operation.

“We are rapidly and safely actioning a clear, disciplined plan to restore production at Al Taweelah, which is one of the most important aluminium production complexes in the world," said Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium. "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.”

Al Taweelah Casthouse produced its first cast metal on May 4. The facility is remelting frozen metal removed from the reduction cells during restoration to produce finished aluminium products, while also casting hot metal from restored cells.

The Al Taweelah recycling plant had recently entered final commissioning and had started cast metal production at the time of the incident. Final commissioning work resumed in April, and recycled cast metal production restarted in early May.

EGA said ramp-up to full production at the recycling plant is expected to take up to six months, in line with the original timeline, depending on scrap availability.

At the Al Taweelah alumina refinery, first alumina production is expected early in the third quarter. The company said ramp-up to full production could be rapid, subject to the optimisation of bauxite supply chains.

The recovery of hot metal production is not expected to depend on the full ramp-up of the alumina refinery.

EGA’s Jebel Ali site continues to produce aluminium at full capacity, giving the company an operating base while Al Taweelah is restored.

The company said average daily inbound deliveries of major raw materials currently exceed requirements for Jebel Ali production and the Al Taweelah restoration programme. Raw material stocks in the UAE are also rising.

EGA had significant volumes of metal on the water and in overseas warehouses at the start of the conflict, which allowed it to continue supplying some customers.

Outbound logistics were constrained from March, leading to a temporary suspension of new shipment departures and a build-up of finished metal inventory in the UAE.

EGA said it has made progress in setting up alternative outbound logistics routes using ports outside the Strait of Hormuz.

The company is currently selling more metal than it is producing at Jebel Ali, which means UAE stockpiles are gradually reducing. A return to pre-crisis shipment levels is expected, based on current conditions, to require the reopening of the Strait.

EGA’s recycling plants in the United States and Germany have continued production throughout 2026, giving the company additional supply continuity while the UAE restart programme continues.