Abu Dhabi, UAE – Emirates International Aluminum Company announced, on Monday, that it has achieved progress in resuming operational operations at its site in Tawila. The first stages of the restart process were completed before the scheduled date.
The company’s operations at the Tawila site were severely damaged on March 28 as a result of Iranian attacks on the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi. Which led to the emergency cessation of operations at the site. Emirates International Aluminum Company places the safety of its employees and contractors at the top of its priorities.
Two employees sustained injuries that required them to be taken to the hospital to receive the necessary medical care. They later left the hospital after their health condition stabilized and they fully recovered.
expert group
The company has formed a specialized team of experts to ensure the resumption of rehabilitation operations and the operation of facilities in Tawila in accordance with the highest standards of safety and efficiency.
The company has made rapid progress in repairing damaged infrastructure. Basic facilities throughout the site have been rehabilitated.
Natural gas and electricity supplies are expected to gradually increase in line with the requirements of the restart programme.
The company is working to gradually rehabilitate the 1,262 reduction cells to resume smelting operations in Tawila.
The company completed removing the electrodes from all reduction cells, cleaning 90% of the basins, and removing 20% of the frozen metal in the cells.
The first restored reduction cell was restarted on May 26. Bringing the number of restarted cells to 89 reduction cells to date.
Speed up the recovery process
The smelter’s production will gradually increase as the reduction cells restart, and it may take a full year to reach production levels before the accident. Meanwhile, Emirates International Aluminum Company continues its efforts to speed up the recovery process.
Tawila’s foundry operations department produced the first cast metal on May 4. The team is focusing on remelting the frozen metal extracted from the reduction cells during the restart work. This is to produce finished aluminum products and pour molten metal from rehabilitated reduction cells.
The recycling plant in Tawila had entered the final operation phase shortly before the accident. Final operations resumed in April. Metal production began at the beginning of last May. It is expected to take about six months to reach full production capacity, according to the basic schedule, depending on scrap availability.
High energy aluminum production
At the Tawila Alumina Refining Refinery, production operations are expected to resume during the third quarter of this year. With the possibility of reaching full production capacity at a rapid pace. This depends on the extent to which bauxite supply chains are improved. It is also not expected that the productivity of the Tawila smelter will depend on the full production capacity of the refinery.
The Jebel Ali site of Emirates International Aluminum Company continues to produce aluminum at full capacity. The average daily incoming shipments of all major raw materials currently exceed the company’s needs to maintain the level of metal production in Jebel Ali. Meeting the restart requirements in Al Tawilah, as raw material stocks continue to grow within the UAE.
Emirates International Aluminum Company has been able to benefit from continuing to supply aluminum to a number of its customers. Because it possessed large quantities of seaborne metal stored in warehouses in some external locations at the beginning of the conflict.
Alternative logistics routes
Logistics restrictions imposed since March have temporarily halted cargo flights. This has resulted in the accumulation of a large stock of finished products within the UAE.
The company focused on finding alternative logistical routes for outgoing shipments by relying on ports located outside the Strait of Hormuz and selling quantities of aluminum exceeding its actual production volume at the Jebel Ali site. Which contributes to gradually reducing the accumulated stock within the country. Under the current circumstances. A return to previous shipping levels depends on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Emirates International Aluminum Company’s aluminum recycling facilities in the United States and Germany also continued production continuously and normally during the year 2026.
