United Arab Emirates: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, and PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (INALUM), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could lead to the licencing of EGA’s UAE-developed smelting technology for a brownfield aluminium smelter expansion in Indonesia.

His Excellency Husin Bagis, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the UAE, His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, EGA Vice Chairman, and Musabbeh Al Kaabi, EGA Board member witnessed the signing at the Indonesia pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The agreement was signed by EGA’s Chief Executive Officer Abdulnasser Bin Kalban and INALUM’s President Director Hendi Prio Santoso.

Under the agreement, EGA and INALUM will engage in a feasibility study of the use of EGA’s technology in a planned, up to 400,000 tonnes per year expansion of INALUM’s Kuala Tanjung smelter in North Sumatra.

EGA will also explore the potential to invest in the expansion and off-take metal, should it be developed with renewable energy. The existing aluminium smelter at Kuala Tanjung uses electricity generated with hydropower. The companies will also explore further cooperation opportunities throughout the aluminium value chain.

EGA and INALUM are already working together on the potential upgrade using EGA technological know-how of the existing aluminium smelter at Kuala Tanjung, under an agreement signed in 2020. The project aims to boost production from the existing reduction cells by around 20,000 tonnes per year or approximately 10 per cent. Design work for a pilot section of the project has been completed. EGA has completed a series of similar upgrades across its sites in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah over recent decades.

EGA and INALUM are also together exploring the potential of developing a greenfield aluminium smelter in Indonesia using EGA’s technology.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “This agreement further deepens our cooperation with INALUM, which is based on the potential use of EGA’s technology in a number of development projects in Indonesia. Our aim is to grow our position as the technology provider of choice in our industry, developing revenue streams for EGA from technology licensing and potentially further opportunities, while strengthening the relationship between our two countries.”

Hendi Prio Santoso, President Director of INALUM, said: “We are pleased with the progress of our relationship with EGA, which we are confident will lead to the application of EGA’s leading smelting technology in Indonesia. We look forward to further milestones in this brownfield expansion and our other projects in the near future.”

EGA has developed its own aluminium smelting technology in the UAE for more than 25 years. EGA has used its own technology in every smelter expansion since the 1990s and has retrofitted all its older production lines.

In 2016, EGA became the first UAE industrial company to license its core process technology internationally, in a deal with Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA). ALBA’s Potline 6, built using EGA’s DX+ Ultra technology, began production in 2018.

In 2020, EGA signed an agreement with NEO Aluminio Colombia which could lead to the export of EGA technology for the development of the South American country’s first aluminium production facility.

-Ends-

Contacts at EGA:
Simon Buerk
sbuerk@ega.ae

About EGA 

Since 1975, when it was founded as Dubai Aluminium by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Global Aluminium has been innovating aluminium to make modern life possible.

Today EGA is the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas industry. 

EGA is equally-owned by Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is the largest company jointly owned by the two Emirates.

EGA is an integrated aluminium producer, with operations from bauxite mining to the production of cast primary aluminium. EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah and a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea.

EGA’s aluminium is the second largest made-in-the UAE export after oil and gas. In 2021, EGA sold 2.54 million tonnes of cast metal. EGA is the only UAE producer and makes the UAE the fifth largest aluminium producing nation in the world. 

EGA has more than 400 customers in over 50 countries. In 2021, value-added products accounted for 84 per cent of EGA’s cast metal sales. 

EGA’s aluminium is primarily used in the construction, automotive, packaging, aerospace and electronics industries.

Around 10 per cent of EGA’s aluminium production is sold in the UAE to around 26 downstream aluminium companies that make products with EGA’s aluminium. The growing broader aluminium sector in the UAE supports 60,950 jobs. EGA itself employs over 7,000 of these people including almost 1,200 UAE Nationals. 

EGA has focused on technology development for over 25 years. EGA has used its own technology for every smelter expansion since the 1990s and has retrofitted all its older production lines. In 2016 EGA became the first UAE industrial company to licence its core industrial process technology internationally.

As a corporate citizen of the UAE, EGA aspires in all its operations to be measured amongst the world’s leading metals and mining companies in meeting its environmental and social responsibilities. In 2017, EGA became the first Middle East headquartered company to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, a global programme to foster greater sustainability and transparency in the aluminium industry. In 2019, EGA’s Al Taweelah site became the first in the Middle East to receive certification from ASI for its sustainability practices and performance. EGA’s Jebel Ali site was certified in 2021. ASI certification is the aluminium industry’s internationally recognised standard for environmental and social performance and governance.

In 2021, EGA began production of CelestiAL solar aluminium, produced with solar power from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park on the outskirts of Dubai. EGA is the first company in the world to make aluminium commercially using the power of the sun.

EGA was formed in 2014 through the merger of Dubai Aluminium and Emirates Aluminium.

EGA’s Jebel Ali aluminium smelter began production as DUBAL in 1979. At almost five square kilometres, this site is five times bigger than Dubai Mall.

EMAL started production in 2009 and its Al Taweelah aluminium smelter was the largest single-site aluminium smelter in the world when completed. EGA’s Al Taweelah site is five times bigger than Al Maryah Island at six square kilometres. 

EGA has its own power stations at both sites, producing electricity to meet its needs. EGA’s electricity generation capacity is 6,474 megawatts, making EGA the third largest electricity generator in the UAE after the Dubai and Abu Dhabi utilities. EGA also produces water through desalination units at its power plants. 

EGA began production at Al Taweelah alumina refinery in April 2019. EGA’s alumina refinery is the first in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East. The project reduces the UAE’s dependence on imported alumina and supplies over 40 per cent of EGA’s needs.

Bauxite exports from Guinea Alumina Corporation, EGA’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Guinea, began in August 2019. The GAC project was one of the largest greenfield investments in Guinea in over 40 years. 

For more information on EGA please visit www.ega.ae.