EGA Charges First Furnace at UAE Aluminium Recycling Plant

Emirates Global Aluminium has fed scrap into the main melting furnace at its aluminium recycling complex in Al Taweelah for the first time, a construction milestone that signals the project is entering its final phase and underlines the UAE producer’s push into low-carbon metal, the company said in recent disclosures.

The facility, expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2026, is designed to anchor EGA’s domestic recycling capacity at a time when global demand for secondary aluminium is accelerating, driven by automakers, construction firms and packaging groups seeking to cut emissions without sacrificing material performance.

Aluminium recycling has long been limited in the Gulf compared with primary smelting, despite the region’s rapid growth in consumption. Analysts say the imbalance has left producers dependent on imported scrap and overseas tolling arrangements, even as policymakers promote circular economy strategies to reduce waste and energy use. Recycling aluminium consumes about 95% less energy than producing primary metal, a gap that has become increasingly relevant as carbon pricing and supply-chain disclosure rules spread across major markets.

EGA said the Al Taweelah plant will be capable of producing up to 185,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium annually, making it the largest such operation in the UAE. The site will handle both post-consumer and pre-consumer scrap, which will be blended with primary aluminium to produce billets and T-bars sold under the company’s RevivAL brand. Recycled content will also be combined with solar-powered primary metal, marketed as CelestiAL-R, and with nuclear-powered aluminium, sold as MinimAL-R.

Commissioning work began late last year on the plant’s scrap sorting line, which can shred and separate as much as 150,000 tonnes of material a year using magnetic, mechanical and X-ray technologies. The core melting furnace, rated at 90,000 tonnes per year, operates at around 750 degrees Celsius and uses heat-regeneration burners to improve efficiency. Molten metal is transferred to two 90-tonne holding furnaces, where recycled and primary aluminium are blended and the chemistry adjusted before casting. Construction is continuing on casting and homogenisation units needed to deliver finished products.

Chief executive Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said the project reflects aluminium’s role in a lower-carbon industrial system, noting that scrap generated in the UAE and abroad can be turned back into high-quality metal suitable for modern manufacturing.

Industry groups argue that such investments are becoming essential as global recycled aluminium demand is forecast to double by 2040, according to market data cited by producers and consultancies. Observers note that securing reliable scrap supply and advanced sorting capacity will be as critical as furnace technology, particularly as competition for clean scrap intensifies.

The Al Taweelah project forms part of a broader recycling expansion by EGA outside the Gulf. In Europe, the company acquired German specialty foundry EGA Leichtmetall in 2024 and announced plans in December to more than sextuple its output by building a second facility near Hannover. That project is expected to add 110,000 tonnes a year of scrap sorting capacity and 150,000 tonnes of melting and casting capacity, with first production targeted for 2028. In the United States, EGA holds an 80% stake in Spectro Alloys, where a phased expansion completed in 2025 and due to continue through 2027 is set to lift capacity to about 200,000 tonnes a year.

Analysts say EGA’s growing recycling footprint positions the company to supply customers seeking certified recycled content across multiple regions, while cushioning it against volatility in primary aluminium markets.

Source: ZAWYA

SUNSHINE Spotlight: The first furnace charge at Al Taweelah marks a tangible step in EGA’s strategy to scale aluminium recycling as global demand for lower-carbon metal gathers pace.