Emirates Global Aluminium reaches settlement agreement, gears up to launch aluminum recycling plant in Al Taweelah

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) just got a boost in the form of a settlement agreement with the Guinean government, and will soon get another with the launch of operations at its recycling facility in Al Taweelah, set to be the UAE’s largest.

The timing matters: This comes as EGA’s core smelting operations are out of order. Its Al Taweelah plant was hit at the end of March, with the strike at the 1.6 mtpa facility knocking out a significant chunk of primary aluminum production capacity and forcing EGA to invoke force majeure on some contracts. Rehabilitation work is set to begin at the end of May, with full restart timelines stretching toward a year, making recycling and overseas diversification increasingly strategic hedges rather than optional growth plays, CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban told Al Bayan.

#1- The firm reached a settlement agreement with the Guinean government following the shutdown of its Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) operations last year, according to a press release. The dispute had escalated last year after Guinea suspended GAC shipments and later seized the company’s mining lease, accusing EGA of failing to build an alumina refinery. EGA halted operations in the country and said the government’s actions violated its rights.

It’s a meaningful reset for EGA: The agreement restores bauxite supply arrangements between EGA and Guinean mining company Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée under what the parties described as “mutually beneficial commercial terms,” though financial details were not disclosed. Guinea will also pay GAC a lump sum in exchange for transferring the company’s local assets to Nimba Mining, a state-linked mining vehicle overseeing the Sangaredi bauxite project in western Guinea.

Why this matters: With its Al Taweelah facility still under repair, making a stable upstream supply increasingly important for EGA’s broader resilience strategy. The Guinea disruption had already pushed the company to diversify its mining exposure in the region, including through signing a mining MoU last year with Ghana’s state-owned Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation.

#2- EGA’s plans to launch the UAE’s largest aluminum recycling plant are on track despite disruptions, with the company preparing to launch operations before mid-year, Bin Kalban said. The facility is expected to reach 400k tonnes of annual capacity by year-end, as part of a broader plan to scale toward 800k tonnes by 2040.

EGA declined to comment on whether the recycling ramp-up could help offset production disruptions at Al Taweelah, though SVP of Corporate Affairs Simon Buerk told EnterpriseAM that plans for the facility come as global demand for recycled aluminum is “expected to double by 2040.”