Minnesota: Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) today announced the start of production at the expanded EGA Spectro Alloys aluminium recycling plant in Minnesota, marking a significant step in its global recycling efforts. The expansion adds 55 thousand tonnes of secondary billet production capacity in the first phase, with full production expected by the first quarter of 2026. This development increases EGA Spectro Alloys' total production capacity to 165 thousand tonnes per year of recycled aluminium ingots and billets.
According to Emirates News Agency, the metal produced from this expansion project will be sold under EGA's recycled aluminium product brand, RevivAL. With the completion of this expansion, EGA's global aluminium recycling capacity reaches 195 thousand tonnes per year, with facilities now in the U.S. and Germany. EGA is also constructing the UAE's largest aluminium recycling plant in Al Taweelah, which will have a capacity of 170 thousand tonnes per year and is expected to begin operations in the first half of 2026.
Abdulnasser bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, highlighted the significance of the milestone, stating, "Reaching first hot metal at the expansion of EGA Spectro Alloys is another milestone in our drive to build a global aluminium recycling business to meet growing demand for this low carbon metal. It is also a milestone in EGA's growth in the United States, already one of our most important markets and where we are progressing our plans to build a primary aluminium production plant in Oklahoma."
Demand for recycled aluminium in the United States is projected to reach 7.6 million tonnes per year by 2033, as per CRU, an independent business intelligence organisation. Currently, the United States ranks as the world's second-largest recycled aluminium market. Recycling aluminium uses 95 per cent less electricity compared to producing new metal, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In Oklahoma, EGA plans to establish the first new primary aluminium production plant in the United States since 1980. The plant is expected to have a production capacity of 600 thousand tonnes of primary aluminium per year, nearly doubling the current production in the United States. Presently, 85 per cent of the aluminium needs of American industries, ranging from automotive to aviation and construction, are met through imports.
