With a capacity of 185 thousand tons annually… inauguration of the largest aluminum recycling plant in the Emirates

Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the UAE outside the oil and gas sector, celebrated the inauguration of the largest aluminum recycling plant in the country.

The factory represents an important step in the growth of the company’s business in the field of low-carbon aluminum and supporting the circular economy in the country.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahhak, the Secretary-General of the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Sheikha Salem Al Dhaheri, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Emirates Global Aluminum, Humaid Al Shammari, and the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Emirates Global Aluminum, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, in addition to members of the Board of Directors and the company’s senior management team.

Al-Dahhak said: Recycling represents a fundamental pillar of the UAE’s circular economy policy, which aims to consolidate the country’s position as a global center for green development by moving from linear production and consumption patterns to circular models, which enhances the efficiency of resource use and reduces waste.

She added: Aluminum is one of the most prominent resources supporting this transformation due to its unlimited recycling potential, which contributes to protecting environmental systems and building a sustainable, low-carbon economy. Recycling aluminum waste also consumes up to 95% less energy than producing primary aluminum from ore, which leads to reduced energy consumption and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

She continued: For decades, Emirates Global Aluminum has been one of the leading industrial institutions in the country, and today it continues to strengthen this role through its leadership in the field of aluminum recycling as a national model to be emulated. I congratulate the company on the deliberate strategic expansion of recycling activities within the country and at the global level, which reflects the close integration between industrial progress and commitment to climate action goals as two complementary paths that do not conflict.

The production capacity of the aluminum recycling plant in Al Taweelah is 185 thousand tons annually. The factory processes post-consumer aluminum scrap, in addition to quantities of pre-consumer scrap to produce high-quality, low-carbon alloys and cylinders.

Emirates Global Aluminum markets it under the “RevivAL” aluminum brand.

The company also produces alloys of recycled aluminum with solar-powered primary aluminum, which is marketed under the CelestiAL-R brand, and with nuclear-powered primary aluminum, under the MinimAL-R brand.

Most of the aluminum scrap generated within the UAE was exported outside the country for processing, which led to the loss of a large portion of the national economy.

The aluminum recycling plant in Al Taweelah provides the ability to process this scrap locally, making Emirates Global Aluminum the largest consumer of aluminum scrap in the country.

The construction of the aluminum recycling plant in Al Taweelah took 4 million man-hours and was completed without any injuries that required absence from work. The project also required more than 26,300 cubic meters of concrete, which is more than the volume of 10 Olympic swimming pools, in addition to more than 4,600 metric tons of structural steel, which is equivalent to about two-thirds of the weight of the steel in the Eiffel Tower.

For his part, CEO of Emirates Global Aluminium, Abdul Nasser Bin Kalban, said: The Al Taweelah Aluminum Recycling Factory represents a milestone in the growth of the company’s recycling business. It is also an important step towards strengthening the circular economy in the UAE. By converting aluminum scrap into new, high-quality, low-carbon aluminum products, the factory contributes to keeping resources in use for a longer period, reducing waste and emissions, while retaining greater value within the national economy. The project also strengthens the UAE’s position as a global center for sustainable industry, and supports the goals of the initiative. “Made in the Emirates” and the “300 Billion Project” strategy to develop the national industrial sector.

The aluminum recycling plant in Al Taweelah began initial operations in February as part of the trial operation stages of the factory, and the completion of operation was halted following the Iranian attacks on the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi on March 28.

Final operations resumed during April, while metal production operations began at the beginning of May. It is expected that reaching full production capacity will take about six months, according to the basic schedule, depending on the availability of scrap.

The aluminum recycling plant in Al Taweelah, along with the plan to acquire another recycling plant in Italy, in addition to expansion projects in Europe and the United States, will contribute to raising the company’s total production capacity of recycled aluminum to more than 400 thousand tons annually.

Emirates Global Aluminum acquired recycling plants in Germany and the United States in 2024 and continues to expand its operations in the two countries.

Emirates Global Aluminum is expanding the operations of its subsidiary Leichtmetall in Germany more than six-fold, by establishing a second factory in a new location near Hannover, which will contribute to enhancing production capacity by 150,000 tons. The factory construction work is expected to be completed in 2028.

In Minnesota, the expansion of the operations of Spectro Alloys, a subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium, has contributed to achieving a production capacity of 65,000 tons annually in 2025.

The company is currently working on developing the second phase of expansion to add 35,000 tons annually to production capacity in 2027.

In April, Emirates Global Aluminum announced that it intends to acquire an 80% stake in the Italian company EcoGreen, which specializes in aluminum recycling, subject to obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals.