EGA’s Guinea bauxite deal and recycling facility in Al Taweelah - a move to offset its smelting shutdown?

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EGA’s reset of its Guinea bauxite supply and progress at the Al Taweelah recycling facility have sparked curiosity about whether these moves are aimed at reviving the company’s resilience in the global aluminium market after a temporary shutdown of the Al Taweelah smelter following damage from Iranian attacks.  . 

The timing of these three incidents is what has sparked such intrigue. EGA’s core smelting operations remain closed after a strike at its 1.6 million tonnes per annum Al Taweelah facility in late March, forcing the company to invoke force majeure on select contracts. Rehabilitation work is expected to begin by the end of May, with a full restart potentially taking up to a year. 

Meanwhile, EGA is gearing up to establish its recycling plan in Al Taweelah. “We are now reaching the final stages of construction on this important project,” Chief Executive Officer Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said, underlining the role of recycled aluminium in strengthening supply resilience. 

This recycling plant has also been examined under the lens of any possibilities to offset bauxite supply disruptions as an alternative source of raw material. 

EGA confirmed its revival bauxite supply deal with the Guinean government following last year’s shutdown of its Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) operations. Under the new agreement, bauxite supply arrangements with Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée will resume under “mutually beneficial commercial terms,” although financial details remain undisclosed. Guinea will also pay a lump sum to GAC in exchange for transferring local assets to Nimba Mining, which oversees the Sangaredi project in western Guinea. 

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The reset is significant. The earlier disruption had already pushed EGA to diversify raw material sourcing, including a mining memorandum with Ghana’s Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation. With its Al Taweelah smelter still under repair, securing upstream stability is central to EGA’s broader resilience strategy.

Also Read: Guinea’s bauxite exports surge 25% early 2026, led by China’s growing demand

EGA’s recycling plant at Al Taweelah is about to be completed and the company expects to start operations before mid-2026. The recycling plant has made its first major accomplishment by successfully charging its melting furnace with aluminium scrap in January 2026.

The plant is designed to produce 185,000 tonnes annually, boosting low-carbon aluminium output while supporting supply diversification following Guinea’s bauxite policy shift. It will process both post and pre-consumer scrap to produce billets and T-bars under EGA’s RevivAL line, alongside blends using solar- and nuclear-powered primary aluminium.

Report suggests the company is on track to launch the UAE’s largest aluminium recycling plant before mid-year, despite disruptions. The facility is expected to reach 400,000 tonnes of annual capacity by year-end, with plans to expand to 800,000 tonnes by 2040.

Senior Vice President Simon Buerk noted that global demand for recycled aluminium is “expected to double by 2040,” reinforcing the long-term rationale behind the investment. EGA is also expanding its recycling footprint internationally, with projects underway in the United States and Germany.

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EGA, however, has reportedly declined to comment on whether the recycling ramp-up will help offset production disruptions at Al Taweelah.