EGA restarts 18% of Al Taweelah recycling plant cells as US$408M programme targets Q1 2027 production return

UAE – Emirates Global Aluminium has restarted 227 of 1,262 reduction cells at its Al Taweelah smelter, representing approximately 18 percent of the site’s total capacity, with hot metal production expected to return to pre-incident levels during the first quarter of 2027.

The company has allocated approximately US$408 million (AED 1.5 billion) to restore production at the site, with the majority of the expenditure expected to take place during 2026 and the remainder scheduled for 2027. 

The Al Taweelah site was significantly damaged on 28 March by attacks on Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi resulted in an emergency shutdown of all facilities.

Recycling Plant Ramp-Up and Global Recycling Expansion

The Al Taweelah recycling plant, which has a production capacity of 185,000 tonnes per year and processes post-consumer and selected pre-consumer aluminium scrap into low-carbon billets and T-bars under EGA’s RevivAL brand, is currently operating at 10 percent of capacity and is targeting full production by the end of the fourth quarter of 2026. 

The facility processes aluminium scrap that was historically exported from the UAE, making EGA the largest consumer of aluminium scrap in the country. 

Including Al Taweelah and a planned acquisition in Italy, EGA’s aluminium recycling capacity now exceeds 400,000 tonnes per year across the UAE, Europe and the United States, with a further 200,000 tonnes of capacity under development.

Restoration Progress and Production Timeline

EGA’s restoration work involves the gradual rehabilitation of reduction cells to resume smelting operations, with the company completing the removal of electrodes from all cells, cleaning approximately 90 percent of the basins, and removing 20 percent of frozen metal.

The first restored reduction cell was restarted on 26 May, bringing the number of restarted cells to 89 by that date. 

The Al Taweelah alumina refinery, which produces alumina for the smelter, recovered to 50 percent of pre-incident levels in early July.

Operational Status and Recovery Programme

The Jebel Ali site continues to produce aluminium at full capacity, with inbound raw material deliveries exceeding requirements for both Jebel Ali production and Al Taweelah restoration needs. 

EGA’s aluminium recycling facilities in the United States and Germany have continued normal production throughout 2026. 

Recycled cast metal production at the Al Taweelah recycling plant resumed in early May following the March attack, with ramp-up to full production expected to take approximately six months, subject to scrap availability.

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE