(Bloomberg) -- The Middle East’s biggest aluminum producer said it may take as long as a year to restore full output at its Abu Dhabi plant, following an Iranian attack a week ago.
Emirates Global Aluminium said the Al Taweelah smelter went into emergency shutdown, after suffering significant damage from missiles and drones. The company has completed an initial damage assessment of the facilities in the United Arab Emirates and is in contact with customers whose shipments may be impacted, it said in a statement Friday.
The Middle East accounts for about 9% of global aluminum production, but the impact of the war is being amplified because constraints on output elsewhere have eroded inventories, leaving the market with little buffer to cushion any shocks. Even before the attacks on EGA’s facilities, the industry was bracing for more production cuts as Strait of Hormuz disruptions affected the flow of raw materials for the region’s plants.
“To resume operations at the smelter, EGA must repair infrastructure damage and progressively restore each of the reduction cells,” the company said in the statement. “Early indications are that a complete restoration of primary aluminum production could take up to 12 months.”
Aluminum prices have climbed more than 10% on the London Metal Exchange since the start of the Iran war.
Al Taweelah is one of the world’s biggest smelters, producing 1.6 million tons of cast metal in 2025. Other facilities at the site in Abu Dhabi, including an alumina refinery and a metals recycling plant, could resume some production earlier, pending a final damage assessment, EGA said.
Read: Top Gulf Aluminum Producer EGA Halted Output After Iran Strike
“We are working directly with customers whose deliveries might be impacted by the situation at Al Taweelah,” EGA Chief Executive Officer Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said in the statement.
Iran also hit Aluminium Bahrain’s smelter in the Persian Gulf on March 28. The company known as Alba said it’s assessing damages.
--With assistance from Julian Luk.
(Adds detail on damage from second paragraph, company comments from third.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
What's your biological age? Experts explain the benefits and risks of at-home tests - 2Big majority in Germany call Berlin's efforts on gas prices too weak
- 3One perk to marrying Richard Marx later in life? 'We don't have time' for stupid arguments, says Daisy Fuentes.
- 4Doctors seek to understand why quitting antidepressants causes withdrawal for some
- 5'A completely new manufacturing frontier': Space Forge fires up 1st commercial semiconductor factory in space
- Wedding trip Objections in Europe
- Golan resident convicted of spying for Iran after passing tank movement, missile-impact data
- I’m a dad to an autistic child. Here’s how you can make the holidays easier for all of us.
- 10 times the sky amazed us in 2025
- Hoist Your Style: Famous Hairdos for Ladies
- How federal officials talk about health is shifting in troubling ways – and that change makes me worried for my autistic child
- Bavarian leader questions Germany's Eurovision participation
- Must-See Attractions in Australia
- The 15 Most Compelling Books in History
