EGA concludes debottlenecking expansion of Al Taweelah alumina refinery

UAE – Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the UAE’s largest industrial company outside oil and gas and the world’s biggest producer of premium aluminium, has completed a debottlenecking expansion at its Al Taweelah alumina refinery, boosting annual production capacity by up to 50,000 tonnes.

The project, which involved the installation of a third ball mill, marks a significant step in enhancing operational resilience and securing long-term alumina supply.

Ball mills grind bauxite ore into fine particles for chemical processing into alumina, the key raw material for aluminium production.

The addition of a third unit strengthens system reliability, reduces risks of unplanned outages, and supports future growth at the UAE’s only alumina refinery.

The expansion was executed entirely by EGA’s in-house teams, from engineering and project management through to construction and commissioning.

Construction took just under two and a half years, with more than 650,000 hours of work completed without a single Lost Time Injury (LTI).

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, commented, “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.”

Since its startup in 2019, the Al Taweelah alumina refinery has consistently outperformed its nameplate capacity of 2 million tonnes per annum.

In 2023, it supplied 49% of EGA’s total alumina needs, reducing dependence on imports and reinforcing the UAE’s industrial self-sufficiency.

EGA is one of the largest non-oil and gas industrial companies in the UAE, operating smelters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in addition to the Al Taweelah alumina refinery.

The company is also investing in upstream operations, including bauxite mining and alumina refining, to secure raw material supply and enhance its global competitiveness.

The debottlenecking project underscores EGA’s strategy to optimize existing assets, strengthen supply chain resilience, and ensure sustainable growth in a market where global aluminium demand is forecast to rise steadily in the coming decades, driven by applications in renewable energy, transport, and infrastructure.

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