Emirates Global to build US aluminum plant touted by Trump next year

Emirates Global Aluminium plans to start building a $4 billion plant in Oklahoma next year as Donald Trump pushes for massive investments from oil-rich Gulf states to avoid his tariffs.

The smelter will have the capacity to produce as much as 600,000 tons a year of primary aluminum, with construction slated to start by the end of 2026 and to be ready by 2030, the company said in a statement on Friday. EGA is also partnering with US defense company RTX Corp. and the UAE’s Tawazun Council on a gallium project.

The US president announced $200 billion in deals with the United Arab Emirates during the final stop of his Middle East tour, adding to investment commitments from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Dubai-based EGA completed its first US acquisition last year when it bought 80% of Spectro Alloys Corp. in Minnesota and said it would make further investments to counter the impact of US tariffs.

Trump suggested an UAE aluminum plant would be built in the US because the company would “have to pay a big tariff” if the facility were to be built in the Emirates. The smelter and the gallium project are part of the investments he announced.

The smelter’s construction is contingent on securing a competitive power deal, local investment incentives and tax credit arrangements, EGA said.

EGA said it has signed an exclusive land option agreement for a site near Tulsa and is in advanced negotiations with Public Service Company of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma government.

RTX and Tawazun Council signed a memorandum of understanding to establish EGA as a supplier of gallium, a critical mineral used in chips, the aluminum producer said in a separate statement. The gallium would be extracted and refined at EGA’s alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi. The value of the potential investment wasn’t disclosed.

(By Verity Ratcliffe)