EGA accomplishes work of new 600-megawatt power plant

Emirates Global Aluminium in UAE, the top primary aluminium producer in GCC and a leading aluminium producer globally, has announced the accomplishment of its power plant, which will remarkably enhance environmental performance at EGA in Jebel Ali.

The first in the UAE and the global aluminium industry, the Dh1 billion state-of-the-art power plant is built around a Siemens Energy H-class gas turbine, with a power generation capacity of 600 megawatts.

The newly developed power plant will further upgrade the efficiency of power generation at EGA, retrieving natural resources, economizing costs and scaling down environmental emissions.

The former five turbines whose efficiency has been reduced are being kept on standby for use only in emergencies at EGA.

EGA’s power-generation and aluminium-smelting operation at Jebel Ali are envisaged to axe greenhouse gas emissions by approx. 10% following the execution of the new power block. This is comparable to planting more than 17 million trees each year.

Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions are expected to subside by as much as 58%. NOx is a very interesting and important family of air-polluting chemical compounds. It is also emitted by motor vehicles, and the implementation of a new power block is equivalent to wipe off more than 850,000 cars from the roads of Dubai.

The UAE Energy Strategy 2050 levels to shrink the carbon footprint of power generation by 70% and escalate energy efficiency by 40%.

The construction of the new power block grasped some 12.8 million hours of work, which is equivalent to one person working more than 6,000 years, with a workforce of 3,778 at peak in November’20. However, the project was concluded with a world-class safety record and zero injuries leading to time off work.

EGA necessitates power for the aluminium smelter and other industrial operations, while it is the largest power generator in the nation after the Dubai and Abu Dhabi utilities.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of EGA, said: “The new power plant at EGA is considered one of the plants with high operational efficiency and an important step towards enhancing environmental sustainability.”

Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Board member of EGA and CEO of UAE Investments at Mubadala: “The successful completion of this project is a testament to the focus on improving EGA’s cost position while reducing its emissions.”

“This further cements the importance we place on addressing key Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues. We are proud of the EGA’s resilience and the team’s ability to deliver this project safely and under budget despite challenging circumstances presented by the pandemic,” added Al Kaabi.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA said: “Despite COVID-19, this project was completed on time and, most importantly, safely. We now have on our site the most efficient power plant in the UAE, which will significantly reduce our environmental emissions as well as lowering our costs. This plant will deliver value to EGA and the nation for many years to come.”