Emal smelter inaugurated

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, inaugurated on Monday the Emirates Aluminium Company Limited (Emal) smelter development project in the Al Taweelah area of Abu Dhabi.

It is a joint project of Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) and Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala).

Saeed Al Mazrouie, CEO of Emal, said the strategic joint industrial venture has become a tangible reality on the ground and embodied the far-sighted vision of "our wise leadership."

He described Emal as a distinct national achievement and the best industrial deal in 2007 between Mubadala and Dubal in the Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

The construction and operation of a new hi-tech aluminium smelter in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is making history by being one of the largest Greenfield aluminium smelter ever built, and one of the largest industrial projects in the UAE outside the oil and gas sector. The approximately $6 billion development project is the flagship of Abu Dhabi's industrialisation and diversification strategy.

Located in the new Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone, the project is being built in two phases. The Emal smelter commenced operations of its First Phase on 2 December 2009.

“Once complete it will have production capacity of 750,000 tonnes of aluminium per year, doubling to 1.5 million tonnes annually at the end of Phase Two, making it then the most productive single-site aluminium smelter in the world,” he said. The smelter has an on-site 2,000 MW power plant, an anode manufacturing plant and multi-product cast house.

“Emal provides direct employment for approximately 2,000 people with Emirati manpower accounting for 14 per cent. The project creates jobs and encourages economic diversification and downstream development opportunities,” he added.

This new initiative will generate long-term economic benefits for the UAE, offer both Emiratis and expatriates the chance to develop their careers in a wide range of disciplines, be a catalyst for downstream processing, and create significant economic value for generations to come.

Emal’s output in 2010 was exported to several countries and the whole products of 2011 (about 742,000 tonnes) have already been sold out.

After watching an e-show of the UAE's rich past and prosperous present, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Mohammed bin Zayed took tour by car of the smelter's various units.

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