In what would be a historic development, a Dubai-based conglomerate has a $4-billion plan to build and operate a primary aluminum plant in northeast Oklahoma. The first new aluminum smelting operation in the U.S. in 45 years would produce 600,000 metric tons of primary aluminum annually. While several critical details of the project remain undisclosed, Emirates Global Aluminium has entered into an exclusive agreement for a site near Tulsa, Okla., and is proceeding with a feasibility study for the project.
Emirates Global Aluminium is already present in the domestic market through its 2024 acquisition of Spectro Alloys (now EGA Spectro Alloys), a manufacturer of secondary aluminum alloys for foundry operations.
“We want more goods to be manufactured in Oklahoma and EGA is the perfect partner,” according to Governor Kevin Stitt. "My administration has worked closely with the company for over a year to clear the way for the first new primary aluminum production plant in the United States for more than four decades right here in our great state.”
The developers indicate the new plant will establish up to 1,000 permanent jobs, and up to 4,000 jobs during the peak construction period.
The investor stated that it expects to start construction in 2026, to produce hot metal by 2029. The project is also dependent on “state and local investment incentives and tax credit arrangements.”
U.S. primary aluminum capacity has declined to 1.36 million metric tons, and more than half of that volume remains idle due to global competition. In 2024, U.S. primary aluminum output was 678,000 metric tons, meaning that at full production the EGA project would nearly double that volume.
Most of the world’s primary aluminum is produced in China – with its 43 million metric tons representing 57% of the global total. Other major producer nations are India (4.2 million mtpy), Russia (3.8 mtpy), United Arab Emirates (2.7 million mtpy), and Bahrain (1.6 million mtpy.)
As may be concluded by the list, electrical energy is an essential aspect of primary aluminum production. The source of electricity for the EGA project is one of the unknown factors.
As EGA noted, its project “is subject to the finalization of a competitive long-term power supply for the plant…,” and that it is negotiating with the Public Service Co. of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma state government.
The availability of affordable electric power is one factor in the decline of domestic primary aluminum production over recent decades. No new primary aluminum capacity has been installed in the U.S. since 1980, when the Sebree, Ken., plant now operated by Century Aluminum started. Just four others operating now, from roughly 30 operating at that time.
Primary aluminum is produced by dissolving aluminum oxide (alumina) in a cryolite solution and applying electrolysis – i.e., charging the mixture with a constant electric current – to extract pure metal. In addition to affordable electricity, U.S. primary aluminum competitiveness has been undercut by labor and environmental costs.
Environmental clearance for the Oklahoma project is another unknown factor.
Transport and distribution are important too, for receiving raw materials and dispatching primary aluminum ingots. The land option held by EGA covers a site at the Tulsa Port of Inola, which has a bulk freight connection to the Mississippi River system.
Governor Stitt emphasized: "EGA’s new plant will be the heart of a broader hub for strategic industry in Oklahoma, creating jobs and opportunity for Oklahomans as well as enhancing economic resilience and national security for all Americans."
The demand for primary aluminum is robust, from domestic automotive, aerospace, construction, defense, and energy sectors. Primary aluminum is also necessary to ensure the continued viability of the secondary (recycled) aluminum market, which supports structural and consumer products markets, among others. More than 80% of U.S. primary aluminum requirements are met by imports.
In 2018 President Trump installed tariffs on primary aluminum imports, which expired under the Biden Administration and have been renewed again at 25% since March 2025.
“The United States has been an important market for EGA for several decades, and we know there is strong demand for our high-quality metal ‘made in America’,” stated Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, CEO. "EGA has the skills, technology and capital to start rebuilding this great American industry, and in Oklahoma I am confident we will secure the right conditions to do so.”
