EGA Tests Al Taweelah Upgrade to Add 67,000 Tonnes of Output
Emirates Global Aluminium is piloting E40 tech at Al Taweelah to boost production by 67,000 tonnes yearly and cut energy use by 6%.
Key points
- EGA's E40 pilot at Al Taweelah targets a 67,000-tonne annual increase in hot metal production from two potlines.
- The upgrade aims to cut net specific energy consumption and carbon emissions by approximately six percent per tonne of metal.
- The pilot is being accelerated to coincide with facility restoration and builds on EGA's in-house technology development since the 1990s.
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is currently testing a technology upgrade at its Al Taweelah smelter that targets a 67,000-tonne increase in annual hot metal production. The pilot focuses on 13 DX reduction cells, aiming to prove the technology's viability before a potential rollout across the facility's broader infrastructure.
According to Gulf News, the initiative is designed to simultaneously reduce net specific energy consumption and associated carbon dioxide emissions. EGA states that applying this technology could lower energy usage per tonne of metal produced by approximately six percent, marking a significant shift in operational efficiency for the UAE producer.
Pilot scope and energy efficiency
The current pilot installs E40 technology on a subset of the 808 DX cells located on potlines one and two. If the trial proves successful, the company plans to deploy the upgrade across the entire fleet of these two potlines. This expansion is the direct mechanism behind the projected 67,000-tonne output gain.
The energy reduction target of six percent per tonne is tied directly to the improved performance of the new reduction cells. By optimizing the smelting process, EGA aims to decrease the power required for production, which in turn reduces the carbon footprint associated with power generation for the smelter.
Accelerated rollout amid restoration
EGA has expedited the installation schedule to coincide with the ongoing restoration of the Al Taweelah facility. Operations are being progressively restored following significant damage and an emergency shutdown earlier this year. Integrating the upgrade during this restoration phase allows the company to avoid separate downtime for future installations.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, CEO of EGA, stated that accelerating the pilot is part of a strategy to emerge from recent challenges with stronger operational capabilities. The company emphasizes that using in-house technology for existing assets allows for continuous improvement in efficiency and environmental impact without requiring entirely new infrastructure.
In-house technology and future projects
The E40 upgrade builds on more than three decades of technology development by EGA in the UAE. The company has used its own proprietary technology in every smelter expansion since the 1990s. A previous major retrofit at the Jebel Ali smelter in 2017 cost $300 million and successfully increased capacity while reducing costs.
EGA is also testing its 10th-generation EX smelting technology at Al Taweelah. This separate pilot is intended to prepare the technology for large-scale use in future greenfield projects, including a planned primary aluminium smelter in Oklahoma, which will be the first new such facility in the United States since 1980.
