EMIRATES Aluminium (Emal) has announced that Phase Two of its operational plan will go ahead following the approval of a $4.5-billion investment plan is by its board of directors.

On completion of Phase Two, the aluminium smelter’s annual capacity will rise to 1.3 million tonnes, making Emal one of the largest single-site producers of primary aluminium in the world.

Saaed Fadhel Al Mazrooei, president and CEO of Emal, said: “This is a very significant moment for Emal and the UAE. In just three years, Emal has become a global competitor in the aluminium industry. Phase Two will equip Emal to grow the global customer base we have already established. It is also a clear demonstration of the confidence we have in the future market for aluminium and in Emal to deliver to our customers.”

The Emal Phase Two project will entail the construction of a new potline within the Emal complex at Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi. The line will comprise 444 reduction cells powered by increasing the onsite power plant capacity to 3,000 MW, which will yield an additional annual production capacity of 520,000 tonnes. The new-generation DX+ reduction technology (developed in-house by Dubai Aluminium Company) will be installed, which operates at 420 kA and offers substantial benefits in terms of energy-efficiency and environmental protection.

Simultaneously, the technology installed in Emal Phase One will be upgraded – a project that will take the production yield from the existing 756 cells (in two potlines) by 50,000 tonnes a year to 800,000 tonnes by the end of next year. This will boost Emal’s total production capacity to around 1.3 million tonnes by the end of 2014.