CEO of EGA says deeply disturbed by Iranian attack on 'people simply doing their jobs'

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The CEO of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) provided an initial statement of operations following a recent Iranian attack on the company’s Al Taweelah site, saying that it was fully evacuated and the facilities entered emergency shutdown.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA said that he was deeply disturbed by this attack on the company's employees "who come from more than 40 nations and were simply doing their jobs. We thank God no one received life-threatening injuries and that those hurt are recovering well."

The Al Taweela site in Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi (Kezad) sustained significant damage in missile and drone attacks on March 28, 2026. On that day, the Abu Dhabi media office confirmed that three fires that broke out following a sucessful missile interception at Kezad were contained. Five Indian nationals and one Pakistani have been injured and their wounds range from minor to moderate.

Operational update

In a statement on the company's website, EGA said that tha Al Taweela site, including the smelter and Casthouse, power plant, Al Taweelah alumina refinery, and Al Taweelah recycling plant, was fully evacuated and the facilities entered emergency shutdown.

To resume operations at the smelter, EGA must repair infrastructure damage and progressively restore each of the reduction cells. Early indications are that a complete restoration of primary aluminium production could take up to 12 months.

"Al Taweelah alumina refinery and Al Taweelah recycling plant may be able to restart some production earlier, depending on the final assessment of site damage," it added.

What is Al Taweela site?

Al Taweelah site is one of the biggest aluminium production complexes in the world. The Al Taweelah smelter produced 1.6 million tonnes of cast metal in 2025, while its alumina refinery produced 2.4 million tonnes of alumina in 2025, and met 46 per cent of EGA’s total alumina needs.

Al Taweelah recycling plant has an annual production capacity of 185 thousand tonnes per year.

“Our Al Taweelah site is a foundation of the global economy, and a significant contributor to global supply, making this incident damaging to industries and prosperity worldwide.

"We will do our very best to support our customers around the world during this difficult period. We are working directly with customers whose deliveries might be impacted by the situation at Al Taweelah," said Bin Kalban.