Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the UAE’s largest industrial company outside oil and gas and the world’s biggest producer of “premium aluminium,” has announced the successful completion of a debottlenecking expansion at its Al Taweelah alumina refinery, achieving the milestone with zero lost time injuries.
The project added a third ball mill at the refinery, increasing operational resilience and unlocking up to 50,000 tonnes of additional alumina production annually. Ball mills play a critical role in grinding bauxite ore into fine particles for chemical processing into alumina, a vital raw material for aluminium production.
EGA highlighted that the expansion was completed entirely by in-house teams, covering engineering design, project management, construction, and commissioning. During the construction phase, more than 650,000 hours of work were delivered without a single lost time injury, underscoring EGA’s strong commitment to workplace safety and its wider health, safety, and environment (HSE) standards.
Since its start-up in 2019, Al Taweelah alumina refinery has consistently operated above its nameplate capacity of two million tonnes of alumina per year. In 2024, the refinery supplied 49% of EGA’s total alumina requirements.
EGA said the latest expansion not only strengthens operational reliability but also demonstrates how safety and production excellence go hand in hand, ensuring growth while protecting the workforce.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, chief executive officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said, “This expansion is a key step forward for Al Taweelah alumina refinery, unlocking additional production capacity as we reorient our bauxite supply chain beyond Guinea. It further strengthens our operational resilience and unlocks capacity growth. I thank every member of the team who contributed to this success.”
