Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Century Aluminum Company have formed a joint development agreement to build a primary aluminium production plant in the USA.
EGA will own 60% of the joint venture, with Century owning the remaining 40%.
The new plant, to be built in Inola, Oklahoma, USA, is expected to produce 750,000 tonnes of aluminium per year, larger than previously envisioned and more than doubling current US production.
The Inola plant will create 1,000 permanent direct jobs at the facility and 4,000 jobs during construction.
The project will use EGA’s latest EX technology. Both parties will now solely focus their greenfield development efforts in the United States on the Inola, OK site.
Once complete, the Inola plant will be the largest ever primary aluminium production plant in the US, and the first built in nearly 50 years.
About 85% of the aluminium needs of American industries are currently met by imports.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, CEO of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “We have made great progress preparing for the start of construction in Inola, and welcome Century as a partner in this important project for the future of American industry and now both our companies.
Jesse Gary, CEO of Century Aluminum, said: “Our partner EGA brings world-class smelting technology and construction expertise that are fast-tracking our collective efforts to realise President Trump’s vision of rapidly increasing domestic primary aluminium production.
"Key industries, such as automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging and importantly, national defense, stand to benefit greatly from this expanded production of this critical metal, which will create thousands of new American manufacturing jobs."
Construction of the project is expected to start by the end of 2026. Production is expected to begin by the end of the decade.
Detailed engineering work is already underway and negotiations with Public Service Company of Oklahoma and the state of Oklahoma on a competitive long-term power supply are progressing.
The plant will be built at the industrial park at Tulsa Port of Inola, located on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (M-KARNS), which is connected to the Mississippi River system and provides for efficient bulk freight movement.