Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is advancing the recovery of its Al Taweelah aluminium complex, which sustained significant damage following Iranian missile strikes in late March. The company announced on Thursday that production is resuming ahead of initial estimates, although it may take up to a year for hot metal output to reach pre-attack levels.

The Al Taweelah facility, located in the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi, is among the world’s largest aluminium production sites. The missile strikes on March 28 forced an emergency shutdown and caused extensive damage to the plant. Two EGA employees injured in the attack have since been discharged from hospital.

EGA outlined its phased approach to restoring operations, which involves restarting each of the smelter’s 1,262 reduction cells individually. The company reported that anode removal has been completed across all cells, bath cleaning is approximately 90% finished, and frozen metal has been cleared from more than 20% of the cells. Since May 26, when the first cell was restarted, the total number of operational cells has increased to 89.

Additional parts of the facility are also making progress. The casthouse began producing cast metal on May 4 by remelting frozen metal recovered during the restoration process, alongside hot metal from the restarted cells. The site’s recycling plant resumed cast metal production in early May, with full output anticipated within six months, depending on the availability of scrap material.

Separately, the Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected to initiate production in the early third quarter, although its ramp-up speed will depend on bauxite supply chains. EGA emphasized that restoring hot metal output will not hinge solely on the refinery reaching full capacity.

“Our aim is to accelerate the recovery timeline wherever possible and emerge stronger than before,” said EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban in a statement.

The company continues to evaluate all options to expedite the restoration, reflecting its commitment to reinstating full operations and maintaining its position as a leading aluminium producer.