EGA’s EX technology pilot to prove capabilities in aluminium industry
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) broke ground on the construction of 10 pilot reduction cells for EX, the company’s next generation smelting technology. The pilot at Al Taweelah will be used as a pilot plant to assess Industry 4.0 capabilities in the aluminium industry.
EX has been designed with the aim of producing more aluminium with less energy and lower emissions. The 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. EGA’s EX technology aims to increase production capacity by up to 22 per cent and has been designed with two variants – one for maximum productivity and the other to minimise greenhouse gas emissions.
With more sensors and data, the goal is to deploy artificial intelligence for autonomous control of pots, cranes and vehicles, enabling further optimisation 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.
First hot metal from the pilot reduction cells is expected in the first half of 2025. The target is that EX is ready for large-scale industrialisation, including advanced Industry 4.0 capabilities, by 2028.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “ 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-optimising, 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 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.
