Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Century Aluminum Company have formed a strategic joint development partnership to construct a new primary aluminium production plant in Inola, Oklahoma, marking a historic milestone for the US aluminium industry.

Under the agreement, EGA will hold a 60% stake in the joint venture, with Century Aluminum owning the remaining 40%. The greenfield facility is designed to produce 750,000 tonnes of aluminium per year, making it the largest primary aluminium plant ever built in the United States and the first new smelter developed in nearly 50 years.

The scale of the project is transformative. The Inola plant will generate 1,000 permanent direct jobs and approximately 4,000 construction jobs, while more than doubling current US domestic primary aluminium production. At present, around 85% of aluminium demand in the United States is met through imports, highlighting the strategic importance of the project for industrial security, supply chain resilience, and national manufacturing capacity.

The facility will deploy EGA’s latest EX smelting technology, integrating advanced efficiency, production stability, and industrial-scale performance. Both companies have confirmed that their greenfield aluminium development efforts will now be fully concentrated on the Inola site.

Located at the Tulsa Port of Inola industrial park, the project benefits from direct access to the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, connecting to the Mississippi River network and enabling efficient bulk logistics and raw material transport.

Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2026, with commercial production targeted before 2030. Once operational, the Inola plant will redefine the structure of US aluminium production, supporting key sectors including automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging, and national defense, while reshaping the country’s position in global aluminium supply chains.