EGA reports ahead-of-schedule progress in Al Taweelah aluminium smelter restart, targets pre-incident production within a year

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has confirmed it is running ahead of its internal timeline in restoring production at the Al Taweelah aluminium complex, with 89 of the site’s 1,262 reduction cells already restarted following the March 28 attack that forced an emergency shutdown of the facility.

The UAE-based aluminium major, one of the world's largest ‘premium aluminium’ producers, said on July 2, 2026, that repairs to critical infrastructure at Al Taweelah, located in Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi (KEZAD), have progressed rapidly since the incident, with basic utilities restored across the site and natural gas and electricity supply set to scale up in line with the restart programme.

Reduction cell restart ahead of the curve

Al Taweelah smelter’s return to hot metal production hinges on the progressive restoration of each of its 1,262 reduction cells, a technically demanding process that EGA's dedicated restoration team has been driving since the shutdown. According to the company, anode removal has now been completed across all reduction cells, bath cleaning is roughly 90 per cent complete, and frozen metal has been cleared from more than 20 per cent of cells. The first restored cell was brought back online on 26 May, and the tally has since climbed to 89 cells restarted. EGA said hot metal production will ramp up gradually as further cells come back into service, with pre-incident output levels targeted within up to a year — though the company said it is actively working to pull that timeline forward.

Casthouse and recycling plant are already back in production

Al Taweelah Casthouse resumed operations early, producing its first cast metal on 4 May. The unit is currently remelting frozen metal recovered from the reduction cells during the restoration process, alongside casting hot metal from cells that have already been restarted.

The Al Taweelah aluminium recycling plant (the UAE’s largest) has also returned to production. The facility, which had only just entered final commissioning and begun cast metal production when the attack occurred, resumed commissioning work in April and restarted recycled cast metal production in early May. EGA said the plant remains on track to reach full production capacity within six months, in line with its original ramp-up schedule, subject to scrap availability.

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Alumina refinery restart targeted for Q3

At Al Taweelah alumina refinery, EGA expects first alumina production early in the third quarter of 2026, with a potentially fast ramp-up to full capacity depending on the optimisation of bauxite supply chains. Importantly, the company clarified that the recovery of hot metal production at the smelter is not contingent on the refinery reaching full ramp-up, decoupling the two restart tracks.

CEO: "We will emerge stronger than ever before"

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said the company was executing a disciplined recovery plan across the site.

“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,” Bin Kalban said, adding, “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.”

EGA reiterated that employee safety remains its top priority. Two employees who sustained injuries requiring hospitalisation following the March attack have since been discharged and are continuing their recoveries.

Jebel Ali running at full capacity as logistics routes adapt

Away from Al Taweelah, EGA confirmed that its Jebel Ali site continues aluminium production at full capacity. Inbound deliveries of major raw materials currently exceed the volumes needed to sustain Jebel Ali output and support the Al Taweelah restoration effort, with raw material stockpiles in the UAE continuing to build.

The company had significant volumes of metal on the water and in overseas warehouses at the start of the conflict, which allowed it to maintain supply continuity to some customers even as outbound shipments from the UAE were temporarily suspended amid disruption to the Strait of Hormuz.

EGA said it has since made progress in establishing alternative outbound logistics routes via ports outside the Strait, and is currently selling more metal than it is producing at Jebel Ali, gradually drawing down its UAE stockpiles. A full return to pre-crisis shipment volumes, the company said, will likely depend on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Separately, EGA confirmed that its recycling operations in the US and Germany have continued production uninterrupted throughout 2026, underlining the resilience of its wider international footprint even as the Al Taweelah restart continues.