EGA makes steady progress in restoring its Al Taweelah aluminium complex
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is making steady progress in restoring its Al Taweelah aluminium complex in Abu Dhabi after the site was severely affected by an incident in March.
The facilities were forced into an emergency shutdown on 28 March after Iranian attacks on the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) caused significant damage across the site.
EGA estimates that restoring aluminium production will require around AED 1.5 billion ($400 million) in capital investment. Most of the spending is expected to take place during 2026, with additional expenditure continuing into 2027.
EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban described the first half of 2026 as the most difficult period in the company’s history, while emphasizing that employee safety remained the company’s overriding priority throughout the recovery.
Basic utilities have now been reinstated across the Al Taweelah site. The availability of electricity and natural gas is expected to increase progressively as the company advances through its restart programme.
A key part of the recovery involves bringing the smelter’s 1,262 reduction cells back into operation. EGA restarted the first cell in Potline 1 on 26 May and has since energized all three potlines, representing a major step toward restoring full operations.
As of 10 August, 227 reduction cells, equivalent to 18% of the total, had been successfully restarted.
Hot metal output is expected to increase gradually as more reduction cells return to service. EGA currently expects production to recover to levels seen before the incident during the first quarter of 2027, although the company is seeking ways to shorten the recovery period.
The Al Taweelah recycling plant is also undergoing a phased restart. Initial commissioning and production ramp-up began in February before the incident disrupted operations, with the process resuming in May. The facility is currently operating at about 10% of its capacity, while full production is targeted for the end of the fourth quarter of 2026.
The site’s alumina refinery has also been affected by the shutdown. It produced 602,000 tonnes of alumina during the first half of 2026, down sharply from 1.142 million tonnes in the same period of 2025 following the production stoppage on 28 March.
Refinery operations resumed in early July, and output quickly recovered to approximately half of pre-incident levels. The timing of any further increase will depend on supply-chain conditions and EGA’s efforts to optimise its alumina sourcing strategy.
EGA said the smelter’s recovery can continue independently of the refinery’s return to full production, meaning the two facilities do not need to reach their pre-incident operating levels simultaneously.
