Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has announced that it may take up to 12 months to fully restore aluminium production at its Al Taweelah site, following damage from an Iranian missile and drone strike in the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi.

The attack forced a complete evacuation and emergency shutdown of the smelter, casthouse, power plant, alumina refinery, and recycling plant. EGA said resuming operations will require extensive repairs and a step-by-step restoration of reduction cells, the core units for aluminium production.

While primary aluminium output may take a year to fully restart, the Al Taweelah alumina refinery and recycling plant could resume limited production sooner, depending on the final assessment of the damage.

The Al Taweelah smelter produced 1.6 million tonnes of cast aluminium in 2025, while the alumina refinery produced 2.4 million tonnes, meeting 46% of EGA’s total alumina needs. The recycling plant has an annual capacity of 185,000 tonnes. Despite the shutdown, EGA maintains substantial metal stocks both in the UAE and overseas, helping to mitigate immediate supply disruptions.

EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban condemned the attack and expressed relief that no life-threatening injuries occurred:

We are deeply disturbed by this attack on our people, who come from more than 40 nations. Those hurt are recovering well.

He highlighted the site’s global significance:

Our Al Taweelah site is a foundation of the global economy and a significant contributor to global supply. This incident impacts industries and prosperity worldwide.

EGA is working closely with customers whose deliveries may be affected and is prioritizing repairs to restore operations in phases.