Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) today (July 2) said it had made ahead-of-schedule progress in restoring production at its Al Taweelah site after the facility sustained significant damage during Iranian attacks on Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Economic Zone on March 28 that forced an emergency shutdown.
According to EGA, the safety and wellbeing of employees and contractors is always its highest priority. Two employees sustained injuries requiring hospitalisation and have since been discharged to continue their recoveries.
EGA established a dedicated, experienced team to deliver a safe and efficient restoration and restart of the Al Taweelah facilities.
Giving a project update, EGA said repairs to damaged infrastructure have progressed rapidly. Basic utilities have been restored across the site, with natural gas and electricity availability projected to ramp-up in line with the needs of the restart programme.
To resume hot metal production at Al Taweelah smelter, EGA must progressively restore each of the 1,262 reduction cells, it stated.
Anode removal has been completed at all the reduction cells, bath cleaning completed at around 90 percent, and frozen metal removed from over 20 percent of the reduction cells.
The first restored reduction cell was restarted on May 26. So far, 89 reduction cells have been restarted.
Hot metal production will gradually ramp-up as reduction cells are progressively restored and could take up to a year to reach pre-incident levels. EGA is working to accelerate this timeline.
Al Taweelah Casthouse produced its first cast metal on 4th May. The Casthouse is remelting frozen metal removed from the reduction cells during restoration to produce finished aluminium products, in addition to casting hot metal from restored reduction cells.
Al Taweelah recycling plant had recently begun final commissioning and cast metal production at the time of the incident. Final commissioning work resumed during April, and recycled cast metal production resumed in early May. Ramp-up to full production is expected to take up to six months, in line with the original ramp-up timeline, depending on scrap availability.
At Al Taweelah alumina refinery, first alumina production is expected early in the third quarter, with a potentially rapid ramp-up to full production subject to the optimisation of bauxite supply chains.
The ramp-up of hot metal production is not expected to depend on full ramp-up at Al Taweelah alumina refinery.
CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said: “We are rapidly and safely actioning a clear, disciplined plan to restore production at Al Taweelah, which is one of the most important aluminium production complexes in the world.”
“All opportunities to accelerate the timeline further are being explored, and we will achieve our goal of emerging stronger than ever before. Our people have risen to this challenge, and I commend their continued heroism and dedication to EGA’s bright future,” he stated.
EGA’s Jebel Ali site continues aluminium production at full capacity. Average daily inbound deliveries of all major raw materials currently exceed EGA’s requirements to maintain metal production at Jebel Ali and meet the demands of restoration at Al Taweelah, with raw materials stocks on the ground in the UAE increasing, he stated.
The Emirati group said it had significant volumes of metal on the water and in warehouses in certain overseas locations at the start of the conflict, enabling the continued supply of metal to some customers.
Constraints on outbound logistics from March resulted in the temporary suspension of new shipment departures and It built up significant inventory of finished metal on the ground in the UAE.
EGA has made progress in establishing alternative outbound logistics routes using ports outside the Strait of Hormuz.