EGA to start building US aluminium plant this year

• Partners with US-based Century Aluminum
• Plans smelter in Inola, Oklahoma
• ‘Largest-ever primary aluminium plant in US’

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and US-based Century Aluminum have agreed to build a production plant in the United States.

The smelter will be established in Inola, Oklahoma, and is expected to produce 750,000 tonnes of aluminium per year, EGA said in a statement.

Construction is due to start by the end of 2026, with production likely to begin by the end of the decade. No financial details were given.

Detailed engineering work is underway and negotiations with Oklahoma for competitive long-term power supply are progressing, the statement said.

EGA said the Inola facility will be the “largest-ever primary aluminum production plant in the US and the first built in nearly 50 years”. 

EGA will own 60 percent of the joint venture, while Century will hold the rest. The plant is expected to create 1,000 permanent jobs, plus 4,000 jobs during construction.

About 85 percent of the aluminium needs of US industries are met by imports, but the new smelter will expand domestic supply of the metal, the statement said.

Century Aluminum CEO Jesse Gary said key industries, such as automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging and national defence, stand to benefit greatly from expanded production of the critical metal.

In December, Bloomberg reported that EGA was seeking an investment partner for its aluminium recycling plant in the US.

Further reading:

• Turkish recycling plan to generate $600m per year
• No investment, more efficiency, say GCC aluminium smelters
• Abu Dhabi’s critical metals deal reshapes Gulf security strategy

The UAE company also operates EGA Spectro Alloys in Minnesota. Work on a second phase there is underway, increasing the plant’s capacity to 200,000 tonnes per year by 2027.

Also in December, EGA said it would invest $170 million to increase its recycling capacity in Germany by more than sixfold.

EGA is co-owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company and the Investment Corporation of Dubai.