UAE collaboration delivers first low-carbon aluminium

The low-carbon aluminium is being marketed under the product brand MinimAL. The first customer for the Emirati product is Egyptian company CANEX Aluminum, who will use it to produce advanced products for infrastructure, solar energy, transportation, and architectural applications.

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said the new product positions the UAE as a reliable supplier of low-carbon industrial materials to global markets and expands EGA's low-carbon metal portfolio. Generating the electricity required for aluminium smelting and production accounts for around 60% of the global aluminium industry's greenhouse gas emissions, it added.

"Global demand for low carbon aluminium is expected to triple by 2040, and EGA aims to play an important role in this growth," EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said. "MinimAL is our latest low-carbon product, made possible through the UAE's investment in nuclear power generation. We are glad to be working with ENEC to supply more low carbon aluminium to the world."

ENEC Managing Director and CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi said: "This milestone shows how nuclear energy is boosting national energy security and enabling the UAE's industrial decarbonisation in parallel, reliably powering energy-intensive sectors like aluminium production with clean electricity 24/7. Through the abundant electricity generated at Barakah, we have unlocked the significant, proven and long-term benefits of nuclear energy to power the UAE's low-carbon economy for decades to come."

Managing Director of CANEX Aluminum Mutassem Daaboul said the Egyptian company's partnership with EGA reflects a shared commitment to responsible innovation. "Our upcycling model already transforms waste into value-added products. Now, with MinimAL, we are taking another step forward by reducing embedded emissions at the very beginning of our process," he said.

Since the fourth unit at Barakah entered commercial operation last year, the nuclear power plant, which is in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, generates enough power to meet 25% of the UAE's electricity demand. It has rapidly decarbonised the UAE's grid: carbon-free electricity from Barakah avoids 22.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year, which ENEC says is equivalent to removing 4.8 million cars from the road.

Clean electricity from Barakah is certified through the UAE's Clean Energy Certification programme using International REC Standard protocols to ensure traceability and credibility. The power is supplied through Emirates Water and Electricity Company via the national grid.

EGA was the first company globally to produce aluminium using solar power, marketed as CelestiAL.It also produces recycled aluminium, marketed under the product brand RevivAL, at its plants in the USA and Germany, and is currently building the UAE's largest aluminium recycling plant at Al Taweelah, which is expected to start production in the first half of 2026.