EGA restarts half of Al Taweelah smelter, targets full output by early 2027

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) announced on Wednesday that it has restarted half of the production cells at its Al Taweelah smelter in Abu Dhabi. The company stated that 631 of the facility’s 1,262 reduction cells are currently operational. Work is proceeding simultaneously across all three production lines. EGA projects that the smelter will achieve full production capacity during the first quarter of 2027. This milestone marks a critical step in recovering operations after an emergency shutdown triggered by an Iranian attack in late March. The disruption began on March 28, 2026, when Iranian missile and drone strikes hit the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi, where the smelter is located. The attacks forced a complete evacuation of the site. Abu Dhabi’s media office reported that three fires resulting from successful missile interceptions within the zone were contained. Several EGA employees sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Additionally, five Indian nationals and one Pakistani national were injured, with wounds ranging from minor to moderate. EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban described the restoration effort as the most significant challenge the company has encountered. He noted that thousands of staff members are working around the clock to rebuild the facility. The first restored reduction cell came back online on May 26. Since then, engineers have gradually brought additional units back into service. The technical process for restarting the smelter involves addressing the physical effects of the emergency power loss. Molten aluminum inside every reduction cell froze during the shutdown, creating solid metal pads weighing up to 45 tonnes. Workers must remove these heavy blocks before production can resume. EGA estimates that nearly 80 percent of the cells can be restarted simply by removing this solidified metal. The remaining units require more extensive intervention, including the demolition and replacement of internal linings. The extent of necessary repairs depends on how long each cell had been operating prior to the incident. While such repairs are standard in routine aluminum smelting maintenance, the scale of the Al Taweelah project has demanded a massive expansion of EGA’s capabilities. The company has more than tripled its capacity to safely repair and restart reduction cells compared to its normal maintenance program. This increase was achieved by adding specialized equipment, optimizing workflows, enhancing employee skills, and introducing new industrial processes. Once a cell is restarted, it typically requires about one week to stabilize and reach full production levels. The molten aluminum generated during the restart phase serves two purposes. Some of the hot metal is used directly to ignite subsequent reduction cells. The remainder is transported to EGA’s casthouse, where it is processed into finished aluminum products. In 2025, the Al Taweelah smelter produced 1.6 million tonnes of cast metal. At the start of the conflict, EGA held substantial metal stocks both in transit and at overseas locations. Concurrently, EGA is advancing a technology upgrade program at the site. Normally, installing new technology would require shutting down active production cells. However, the ongoing restoration allows the company to implement upgrades without additional downtime. EGA is piloting its E40 technology across 13 reduction cells equipped with existing DX technology. This trial aims to verify performance before considering deployment across all 808 DX reduction cells at the smelter. If fully implemented, the E40 system could boost annual molten aluminum production by 67,000 tonnes. The alumina refinery associated with Al Taweelah continues to operate at approximately 50 percent of its production capacity. Alumina is the primary raw material for aluminum smelting. EGA stated that the refinery is technically prepared to increase output further. However, the timing of any expansion depends on broader supply chain conditions and the company’s strategies for sourcing alumina. These factors remain integral to the overall recovery plan for the complex.