Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that registrations are now open for ‘The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge’, a competition held in partnership with Emirates Schools Establishment (ESE) and BMW Group to inspire school student’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The challenge asks students in grades nine to 12 to apply their STEM skills to design and innovate with aluminium to make modern life possible. In teams of up to three, students will complete a project in one of the challenge themes - sustainable mobility, architecture, product design and green solutions.

The EGA Design and Innovation Design Challenge is part of EGA’s ‘Engineer the Future’ programme, which introduces school students in the UAE to the real-life application in industry of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Encouraging young people to continue their studies and ultimately pursue careers in these fields is essential for the achievement of the UAE’s Operation 300bn industrial growth strategy.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “EGA employs some 1,500 people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics roles, and we fully recognise the importance of expertise in these fields for the further development of our nation. That is why we have developed our ‘Engineer the Future’ programme. The challenge provides an opportunity for students to put their learning into action. I thank Emirates Schools Establishment for their continued collaboration and am happy to welcome the support of BMW Group for this year’s challenge.”

Dr. Hamid Haqparwar, Managing Director at BMW Group Middle East, said: “We are delighted to take part in ‘The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge’ by supporting this year’s ‘Sustainable Mobility’ theme. At BMW Group, we want to reduce the carbon footprint in our supply chain by 20 per cent. Therefore, sourcing material responsibly such as EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium plays an important part for the BMW Group as we aim to manufacture the greenest car. However, sustainable innovation starts with great minds, and we are convinced the young people of the UAE have much to offer for the future. I look forward to seeing the solutions that will come out of the challenge and would like to thank EGA for their commitment towards our youth.”

Students are encouraged to register via the challenge portal: https://www.ega.ae/en/ega-aluminium-design-challenge and submit project portfolios before the 16 December 2022 to be shortlisted.

The winning team for each theme will be awarded a AED 15,000 cash prize, and runner-up teams will receive AED 10,000.

EGA has supplied BMW Group with aluminium since 2013. Last year, EGA became the first company in the world to produce aluminium using solar power. BMW Group was the first customer for this metal, which EGA markets under the product name CelestiAL.

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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