Bloomberg has learned about the suspension of the Abu Dhabi aluminum production plant.

Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), the largest aluminum producer in the Middle East, has suspended operations at its smelter in Al—Tawel (Abu Dhabi) after the facility was attacked by Iran. This was reported by Bloomberg on April 1, citing a source.

"The factory on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi was left without power, <...> and the melting plants, known as electrolysis lines, were forced to stop without control. <...> The metal solidified inside the melting circuits, causing significant damage to the production process," the publication says.

Eva Mantey, commodity strategist at ING Groep NV, noted that the shutdown of EGA, along with production cuts at Alba and previously imposed restrictions at the Qatari Qatalum plant, would lead to the decommissioning of about 3 million tons of annual capacity — almost half of aluminum production in the Middle East. According to her, this means a "sharp escalation" compared to previous disruptions and will lead to a "deeper shortage of aluminum."

The Middle East produces about 9% of the world's aluminum, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already led to a shortage of critical resources for the region's largest producers, Bloomberg writes.

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On March 28, Al Hadath TV channel reported two fires in Abu Dhabi near the Khalifa Industrial Economic Zone. According to the newspaper, the fires were caused by an Iranian missile attack. At the same time, it became known that the Emirates Global Aluminum plant had suffered significant damage as a result of an attack by the Iranian armed forces.

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