ع
Emirates Global Aluminium said in a statement that restoration work at the Al Taweelah alumina refinery is progressing with first production now anticipated early in the third quarter. The company reported that a potentially rapid ramp-up to full output will depend on optimisation of bauxite supply chains. According to the statement the restart forms part of broader efforts to recover from an emergency shutdown earlier this year.
The Al Taweelah complex sustained significant damage on March 28 when Iranian strikes hit the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi, EGA reported. A dedicated experienced team has overseen repair and restart activities at the facilities since then. The company noted that early milestones in the overall site recovery have been reached ahead of initial schedules.
As of early July 89 of the site’s 1,262 reduction cells had been restarted with the first brought back online on May 26, according to EGA. Full return to pre-incident hot metal production levels is targeted within up to one year though the alumina refinery timeline operates independently. The company’s Jebel Ali smelter has continued running at full capacity throughout the disruption period.
Al Taweelah alumina refinery began production in 2019 as the first such facility in the United Arab Emirates and only the second in the Middle East, EGA data shows. It converts more than five million tonnes of bauxite into over two million tonnes of alumina per year and produced 2.4 million tonnes in 2025 while meeting 46 percent of the company’s alumina requirements that year. The refinery exceeded nameplate capacity within two years of startup following a $3.3 billion investment.
A Reuters report from July 2 indicated that the complex is one of the world’s largest aluminium production sites and that EGA has secured sufficient raw material supplies for both the restart and ongoing Jebel Ali operations. The company has drawn down inventories built up during a temporary suspension of outbound shipments. This approach has allowed EGA to sell more metal than Jebel Ali alone produces at present.
The UAE ranks as a significant global aluminium producer with its output forming part of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s contribution to worldwide supply, International Aluminium Institute statistics show. Emirates Global Aluminium operates as one of the industry’s larger players and the restart at Taweelah supports continued upstream integration in the value chain. The company has also completed recent debottlenecking work that added up to 50,000 tonnes of annual alumina capacity at the site prior to the incident.
Mordor Intelligence projected the global aluminium market to expand from 76.47 million tons in 2025 to 78.99 million tons in 2026 amid rising demand across key sectors. Fortune Business Insights separately forecast the broader Middle East and Africa aluminium market to reach 6.59 billion dollars in 2026. These trends underscore the strategic value of restoring full operations at major regional assets such as the Al Taweelah alumina refinery.
