EGA and Century build new primary aluminium plant
Image: EGA
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Century Aluminum Company have entered into a joint development agreement to build the first new primary aluminium production plant in the US since 1980.
Under the joint development agreement, EGA will own 60% of the joint venture, with Century owning the remaining 40%. The new plant, to be built in Inola, Oklahoma as previously announced by EGA, is expected to produce 750,000 tonnes of aluminium per year, larger than previously envisioned and more than doubling current US production. The Inola plant will create 1,000 permanent direct jobs at the facility and 4,000 jobs during construction.
The partnership combines EGA’s world-class expertise in aluminium smelting design and technology, construction and operation with Century’s extensive history and expertise operating aluminium smelters in the United States utilising domestic supply chains. The project will use EGA’s latest state-of-the-art EX technology, the most advanced ever installed in the United States. Both parties will now solely focus their greenfield development efforts in the United States on the Inola, OK site.
Once complete, the Inola plant will be the largest ever primary aluminium production plant in the US, and the first built in nearly 50 years. About 85 percent of the aluminium needs of American industries are currently met by imports. The new smelter will expand the domestic supply of this critical mineral and grow the American aluminium workforce, revitalising US aluminium expertise and know-how.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, CEO of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “We have made great progress preparing for the start of construction in Inola, and welcome Century as a partner in this important project for the future of American industry and now both our companies. EGA’s global skills, technology and capital are being joined by Century’s deep expertise and experience in the United States. Together we will make a huge contribution to rebuilding American aluminium production for the 21st century.”
Construction of the project is expected to start by the end of 2026. Production is expected to begin by the end of the decade. Detailed engineering work is already underway and negotiations with Public Service Company of Oklahoma and the state of Oklahoma on a competitive long-term power supply are progressing.
The plant will be built at the industrial park at Tulsa Port of Inola, located on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (M-KARNS), which is connected to the Mississippi River system and provides for efficient bulk freight movement.
The Inola plant is expected to drive the development of a regional aluminium-focused industrial hub in Oklahoma, creating thousands of additional jobs and economic opportunities in the upstream supply chain and in new downstream aluminium manufacturing.
