EGA completes alumina expansion
Emirates Global Aluminium has completed a debottlenecking expansion at its Al Taweelah alumina refinery, which will unlock up to 50,000 tonnes per year of additional alumina production.
The project installed a third ball mill at the alumina refinery, which it said will enhance operational resilience and enable future production growth at the UAE’s only alumina refinery.
Ball mills grind bauxite ore into fine particles that are then chemically processed into alumina.
The new mill adds to two existing units already in operation at Al Taweelah, which will reduce the risk of unplanned outages, improve the overall availability and support overall throughput.
The project was completed entirely by EGA in-house teams, from engineering design and project management through to construction and commissioning.
The construction phase was completed in under two and half years with more than 650,000 hours of work without a single Lost Time Injury.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “This expansion is a key step forward for Al Taweelah alumina refinery, unlocking additional production capacity as we reorient our bauxite supply chain beyond Guinea.
“It further strengthens our operational resilience and unlocks capacity growth. I thank every member of the team who contributed to this success.”
Al Taweelah alumina refinery has consistently exceeded its nameplate capacity of 2 million tonnes of alumina per annum every year since its 2019 startup.
Last year, Al Taweelah alumina refinery met 49% of EGA’s total alumina requirements.
