Aluminium producer restarts 315 of 1,262 reduction cells as nearly 1,000 workers help restore production at its Abu Dhabi facility.
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has restarted 25 per cent of the reduction cells at its Al Taweelah smelter in Abu Dhabi as the company works to restore full production by the first quarter of 2027.
The aluminium producer said 315 of the smelter’s 1,262 reduction cells are now operational after the facility suffered significant damage on March 28. The damage occurred following an Iranian attack on Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi, which prompted an emergency shutdown of all EGA facilities at the site.
The company is carrying out repairs and restarting the cells in stages to resume hot metal production, with work progressing simultaneously across all three potlines to speed up the recovery process.
Potline 1 was energised on May 26, followed by potline 3 on July 13 and potline 2 on August 3.
After being restarted, each reduction cell generally takes about one week to stabilise and reach full production. Part of the hot metal produced is being used to restart additional cells, while the rest is transferred to EGA’s Al Taweelah Casthouse, where it is turned into finished premium aluminium products.
Around 1,000 people involved in restoration
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, described the restoration of Al Taweelah’s production as the biggest challenge EGA has faced.
He said a dedicated team is combining decades of operational experience with new techniques to accelerate the recovery safely.
“Our continued strong progress gives us confidence that we will reach full production in Q1 2027,” Bin Kalban said.
Around 1,000 people are currently involved in efforts to restore hot metal production at the Al Taweelah smelter.
Alumina refinery operating at 50% capacity
Meanwhile, EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery is operating at around 50 per cent capacity.
The company said the pace of any further increase in alumina production will depend on supply chain considerations and efforts to optimise its alumina sourcing strategy.
However, EGA stressed that the ongoing recovery of aluminium production at the smelter is not dependent on the refinery returning to full capacity.
Production ramp-up at EGA’s new Al Taweelah recycling plant is also progressing as planned, with full production expected by late Q4.
