Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) reported strong progress in restoring production at its Al Taweelah site following significant damage from Iranian attacks on March 28. The company has restarted 89 of its 1,262 reduction cells, with hot metal production expected to gradually ramp up to pre-incident levels within a year. The Al Taweelah Casthouse began producing cast metal on May 4, and the recycling plant resumed production in early May, with full output anticipated in six months.
EGA's prompt restoration efforts are ahead of schedule, with basic utilities like natural gas and electricity restored. Critically, the Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected to begin producing alumina early in the third quarter of 2026. This rapid progress is easing market fears about aluminum supply disruptions and has contributed to a decline in LME Aluminium prices, which fell towards $3,000/t. Analysts from ING, including Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey, noted that the update reinforced expectations of temporary Gulf supply disruptions, removing the geopolitical risk premium that had pushed prices sharply higher earlier in the year.
Despite the damage at Al Taweelah, EGA's Jebel Ali site continues to operate at full capacity. The company initially faced constraints on outbound logistics due to the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz but has established alternative export routes. While U.S. aluminum imports from the UAE showed fluctuations in the first quarter of 2026, the overall sentiment regarding supply has improved, as EGA has significant metal inventory stored both in the UAE and overseas, and is currently selling more metal than it produces at Jebel Ali.
In 2025, the Al Taweelah smelter produced 1.6 million tonnes of cast metal, and the alumina refinery produced 2.4 million tonnes of alumina, meeting 46% of EGA's total alumina needs. The recycling plant has an annual production capacity of 185,000 tonnes. The quick recovery and diversification of logistics have allowed EGA to continue supplying customers and are gradually reducing stockpiles, with a full return to pre-crisis shipment levels contingent on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
