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Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is making several moves abroad as it looks to secure bauxite supply from a Guinean state-owned firm and raise capital for its push in the US, according to media reports.
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In the US, the aluminum producer is in early talks with potential investors for its planned smelter in Oklahoma, Bloomberg reported. The project is expected to require USD 5-6 bn in capital and produce around 750k tons of primary aluminum a year, doubling the US’ aluminum production capacity. Mitsubishi Corp. is among the prospective partners, though discussions are still preliminary.
Construction is slated for late 2026, with first production expected by the end of the decade, according to investor documents. EGA has said the project hinges on securing a competitive long-term power agreement.
Background
EGA’s planned US smelter sits within the UAE’s broader push to deepen economic ties with the US, following Abu Dhabi’s pledge to invest up to USD 1.4 tn over the coming decade. The pledge had included plans for the aluminum smelter, along with another USD 4 bn gallium smelter project targeting support for semiconductors.
The timing of the news also comes on the heels of the UAE’s participation in the US-led, critical minerals-focused Pax Silica summit as the UAE and the US’ critical minerals partnership seems to grow.
Over in Guinea…
The firm is said to be in talks with the government over a potential bauxite supply agreement that would see the company source feedstock from state-owned Nimba Mining, which had taken over EGA’s bauxite mining lease and concession in Guinea earlier, Reuters quotes unnamed sources as saying.
The talks follow July’s revocation of the license of EGA subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) after a dispute over a delayed alumina refinery. One government source said the discussions aim to avert action threatened by EGA over the seizure.
Why it matters
Supply security is central to EGA’s overseas strategy. EGA invested more than USD 1 bn in GAC, which exported up to 14 mn metric tons of bauxite annually before the license was withdrawn. Its UAE refinery was engineered for GAC’s ore, sources told the newswire, pushing the company to seek alternative supply routes after the shutdown. Nimba Mining has begun exporting stockpiled bauxite and plans to ramp up production to 10 mn tons in 2026.
