CelestiAL is EGA’s aluminium made in the UAE using solar power, which significantly reduces the emissions associated with aluminium smelting.

The agreement is an extension of an existing supply agreement with Brembo and will see a significant increase in the supply of EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium to the company. EGA has supplied aluminium to Brembo since 2019 for manufacturing innovative braking systems.

Aluminium is a key metal for the automotive industry due to its light weight, strength, and corrosion resistance properties. EGA is one of the largest suppliers of foundry alloys to the automotive industry worldwide, including to BMW Group, and tier-one suppliers of Mercedes-Benz and Nissan.

Brembo is a pioneer in the design, development, and production of high-performance, innovative braking technology. Founded in 1961 in Bergamo, Italy, Brembo supplies advanced braking systems to the world’s most prestigious automotive manufacturers, including high-performance road and racetrack cars and motorcycles.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “At EGA, we continue to drive innovation to produce the highest quality, low-carbon metal for our customers. I look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Brembo over the coming years and I thank them for their trust in EGA.”

Beatrice Sarti, Chief Purchasing Officer of Brembo, said: “Brembo takes another significant step forward in responsible procurement. This new agreement allows us to reduce emissions by nearly 50 per cent for the same volume of aluminium, further reinforcing our ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.”

EGA was the first company in the world to produce aluminium commercially using solar power. Generating the electricity required accounts for some 60 per cent of the global aluminium industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.

EGA is certified to the global standard established by the automotive industry which aims to ensure even more rigorous quality management in the global automotive supply chain.

CelestiAL solar aluminium is the world’s first aluminium made commercially with solar power, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The agreement is an extension of an existing supply agreement with Hyundai Mobis. EGA began supplying aluminium to Hyundai Mobis in 2015. EGA supplies Hyundai Mobis with 66 thousand tonnes of metal in total each year.

Under the new agreement, the volume of CelestiAL supplied to Hyundai Mobis will increase from eight thousand this year to up to 15 thousand tonnes per year by 2026. EGA and Mobis will explore a long-term agreement beyond 2026 to supply value-added products, including billets, primary foundry alloys and recycled aluminium.

EGA and Hyundai Mobis will also collaborate to innovate exclusive new alloys for automotive applications.

Aluminium is a key metal for the automotive industry due to its lightweight, strength, and corrosion resistance properties. EGA is one of the largest suppliers of foundry alloys to the automotive industry worldwide.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “At EGA, we remain committed to innovation in delivering the highest quality, low-carbon aluminium to our customers. We value our successful partnership with Hyundai Mobis and look forward to building on this collaboration in the years ahead. We appreciate their continued trust in EGA and our world-first CelestiAL solar aluminium.”

Sun Woo Lee, Senior Vice President, Head of Procurement of Hyundai Mobis, said “With a partnership with EGA, we will proactively respond to global environmental regulations by establishing a green supply chain using low carbon aluminium.”

In 2024, production of CelestiAL solar aluminium grew by 27 per cent to 80 thousand tonnes, including eight thousand tonnes of CelestiAL-R further sweetened with recycled content.

EGA is certified to the global standard established by the automotive industry which aims to ensure even more rigorous quality management in the global automotive supply chain.

EGA supplied MBRSC with CelestiAL solar aluminium produced in Jebel Ali. The metal was formed into critical parts for MBZ-SAT by a local EGA partner company. 

The collaboration between EGA and MBRSC was a space sector milestone for Make it in the Emirates, supporting the UAE’s Operation 300bn ambition, and the UAE’s goal of being a leader in space exploration.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre’s use of EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium for MBZ-SAT shows how sustainable innovation is shaping the future of both space technology and our nation’s industrial ecosystem. EGA was the first company in the world to produce aluminium commercially using solar power, significantly reducing emissions. We are proud that EGA’s solar aluminium is now heading to the stars.”

H.E. Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General, MBRSC said: 
“The successful launch of MBZ-SAT is a testament to the UAE’s vision of pushing the boundaries of innovation and technological excellence. At MBRSC, we are always committed to contributing to the diversification and growth of the UAE's economy through strategic collaborations. By working with partners such as EGA, we have demonstrated how the coming together of expertise and shared ambitions can drive the nation’s space sector forward. By integrating locally produced components, we are not only enhancing the capabilities of our space missions but also reinforcing the UAE's position as a hub for pioneering advancements and global partnerships.”

MBZ-SAT was launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the United States. The satellite, named in honour of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, is equipped with sophisticated image capture technology capable of generating high resolution and precise imagery.

EGA’s aluminium, largest made-in-the-UAE export after oil and gas, is shipped to over 50 countries worldwide. In 2021, EGA partnered with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority to become the first company globally to commercially produce aluminium using solar power. The partnership leverages electricity from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions as electricity generation accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the aluminium industry’s emissions globally.

As one of the UAE’s most innovative companies, EGA has developed its own aluminium smelting technology for over 30 years. In 2024, EGA completed the design phase for the company’s next generation smelting technology, EX. The new technology has been designed to produce more aluminium with less energy and lower emissions. The design incorporates provisions for advanced Internet of Things sensors and connections to enable real-time data gathering and even greater application of Industry 4.0.

Aluminium has served as a leading material in space technologies since the launch of the first satellite in 1957, due to the metal’s light weight, strength and resistance to corrosion.

CelestiAL-R is the world’s first blend of aluminium made with solar power and recycled metal.

The BMW Group uses EGA’s CelestiAL-R to manufacture high-quality aluminium components for its vehicles.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, visited EGA’s plant in Jebel Ali and Dubai Electricity & Water Authority’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to mark the signing of the new agreement.

EGA has supplied aluminium to the BMW Group since 2013. The BMW Group was the first customer to purchase CelestiAL solar aluminium in 2021. Since the start of 2023, all metal supplied by EGA to BMW Group has been CelestiAL-R.

EGA will continue to supply tens of thousands of tonnes of CelestiAL-R each year. The goal is to significantly further increase the proportion of recycled metal.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “The BMW Group demands the highest quality metal produced with solar power, and this continues to drive our innovation at EGA. Over the coming years, we will further increase the proportion of recycled metal in our CelestiAL-R for the BMW Group while meeting their metal quality specifications. I thank the BMW Group for their trust in EGA.”

Producing consistently high-quality metal from increasing proportions of diverse scrap is technically challenging. EGA conducts detailed chemical composition analysis using optical emission spectrometry at every step of the metal production process, to ensure CelestiAL-R meets exact specifications. The company operates advanced metallurgy laboratories at both Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah.

EGA was the first company in the world to produce aluminium commercially using solar power. Generating the electricity required accounts for some 60 per cent of the global aluminium industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Aluminium is infinitely recyclable. Recycling aluminium requires 95 per cent less electricity than producing new metal and generates a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions.

EGA sources recycled aluminium from UAE providers. EGA is building the UAE’s largest aluminium recycling facility in Al Taweelah. On completion, the recycling plant will have a capacity of 170 thousand tonnes of secondary billets per year. First hot metal is expected from EGA’s new recycling plant in 2026.

All EGA’s aluminium supplies to BMW Group since the start of 2023 have been CelestiAL-R. The metal is used in BMW Group electric drivetrain housings, engine components and large-scale structural parts.  

Blending CelestiAL solar aluminium with recycled metal further lowers the CO2 emissions intensity of metal production, to below four tonnes of CO2 equivalent per tonne of aluminium produced depending on the specific alloy.

CelestiAL-R is the first combination of aluminium produced with solar power and scrap metal to meet the stringent quality requirements of the automotive industry. EGA is able to produce CelestiAL-R to these specifications due to the high quality of EGA’s primary aluminium, the rigorous selection of scrap metal, and the flexibility of EGA’s Casthouses.

EGA’s Casthouses have some one million tonnes of foundry capacity, providing flexibility to segregate production. EGA operates the only Horizontal Direct Chill casting machines in the Middle East, which prevent oxidisation on the surface of cast metal resulting in higher quality ingots for the most demanding applications.

CelestiAL-R is tested at every step of the production process, across chemical, structural and mechanical properties. EGA is reporting the results of some 230 comprehensive metal quality test results each month, before metal is dispatched from the UAE to BMW Group Plant Landshut in Germany. The rigour of the production processes, and the quality testing required, mean that CelestiAL-R takes longer for EGA’s Casthouses to produce than any other EGA product.

Scrap for CelestiAL-R is sourced from within the UAE, and consists of engine blocks, wheels, wire rods and construction profiles. The scrap is a mix of post-consumer and pre-consumer industrial scrap. All scrap arriving at EGA is tested against 40 different chemical and other property requirements.  

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “BMW Group has been a key customer of EGA for a decade. BMW Group’s demand for the highest quality metal produced in the most responsible way has accelerated our progress in sustainability - first to CelestiAL solar aluminium and now to CelestiAL-R. Our goal is to steadily increase the proportion of recycled metal in CelestiAL-R, to further reduce the carbon intensity of our metal and thereby the cars we drive.”

EGA has supplied metal to BMW Group since 2013. BMW Group has been the largest customer for EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium since the product was launched in 2021.

EGA was the first company in the world to make aluminium commercially using the power of the sun. Generating the electricity required by the industrial process accounts for some 60 per cent of the global aluminium industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.

EGA’s metal has been formed in Jebel Ali into parts for MBRSC’s MBZ-SAT, the region’s most advanced commercial satellite in the field of high-resolution satellite imagery, which is due to be launched in 2024.

The partnership is a space sector milestone for Make it in the Emirates, supporting the UAE’s Operation 300bn ambition to more than double the size of the industrial sector by 2031, and for the UAE’s goal of being a leader in space exploration.

The first fully UAE-made parts have already been delivered to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre at Al Khawaneej in Dubai.

His Excellency Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, said: “At MBRSC, our mission is not only to explore the vast potential of space but also to drive the diversification of the UAE's economy. We recognise the immense value of joining forces with diverse partners to leverage their unique expertise and capabilities. By forging strategic partnerships with innovative entities such as Emirates Global Aluminium and Gulf Extrusions, we are able to expand the horizons of the UAE's space sector. Together, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation and fuelling the growth of this vital industry.”

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “At EGA, we have been making it in the Emirates since 1979. We are proud to now provide CelestiAL solar aluminium, together with Gulf Extrusions, to another UAE champion which will use it to reach beyond the sky on behalf of our nation. Aluminium is an essential material for modern life, including space travel, and the UAE’s production through EGA is a global contribution to human progress.”

Omar Shegem, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Extrusions, said: “Our parts, made in the UAE with EGA’s aluminium, are already found in everything from cars to skyscrapers around the world. We are now honoured that our work will leave the Earth’s atmosphere for the first time as part of MBZ-SAT. Together we are making it in the Emirates for the world and beyond.”

MBRSC has been dedicated to the advancement of space science, technology, and exploration, playing a pivotal role in the UAE’s space ambitions. The Centre’s main activities encompass the UAE Satellite Programme, the UAE Astronaut Programme, the Emirates Mars Mission, and the Mars 2117 Programme which includes the Emirates Lunar Mission and Space Ventures, among others. Recognising the importance of collaboration, MBRSC actively engages in partnerships with private entities, fostering innovation and driving the growth of the space sector.

Since the first satellite launch in 1957, aluminium has been the leading material in space exploration due to its lightweight, strength and resistance to corrosion.

EGA’s aluminium is the largest made-in-the UAE export after oil and gas and is shipped to more than 50 countries worldwide. In 2021, EGA became the first company in the world to produce aluminium commercially using solar power through a partnership with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, which operates the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the desert outside Dubai. Electricity generation accounts for around 60 per cent of the global aluminium industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. The use of solar power significantly reduces these emissions.

Last year, EGA hosted UAE astronaut Hazzaa AlMansoori for a virtual discussion with employees about the uses of aluminium in space.

EGA is one of the UAE’s most innovative companies and has developed its own aluminium smelting technology in the UAE for more than 30 years. EGA’s latest technology, DX+ Ultra, is amongst the most efficient in the global aluminium industry. The company has used its own technology in all its smelter expansions since the 1990s has retrofitted all its older production lines and was the first UAE industrial company to license its core process technology internationally.

Gulf Extrusions, a subsidiary of Al Ghurair Group, is one of 26 UAE customers of EGA which make everything from car parts to window frames for the local market and global export. EGA supplies some 10 per cent of its metal to local companies, and the aluminium sector as a whole accounts for 1.5 per cent of the entire UAE economy.

The agreement with Kobe Steel will see the supply of EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium to one of the largest rolling mills in Japan. Automotive body sheet is used by the giant Japanese automaker to form vehicle body panels such as doors and bonnets.

EGA currently supplies thousands of tonnes of aluminium to Kobe Steel every year, in a business relationship that stretches back more than 25 years.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “EGA was the first company in the world to make aluminium using solar power, and we are proud that our CelestiAL metal will now be used in Nissan vehicles through Kobe Steel, as well as those of other leading global car companies. We look forward to increasing our production of CelestiAL over the years ahead, contributing to the decarbonisation of EGA and of end user industries including auto manufacturing. I thank Kobe Steel for their continuing trust in EGA and our metal.”

In 2021, EGA became the first company in the world to produce aluminium commercially using solar power through a partnership with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, which operates the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the desert outside Dubai.

EGA expects to vastly increase its production of CelestiAL through an initiative with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA), Dubal Holding and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) to divest its electricity generation assets and instead source power from the grid, including an increasing proportion of clean energy.

The new steady power demand from EGA would increase the predictability of the overall power system, and advance EWEC’s development of new solar energy projects. The scale of the expansion is expected to be greater than the current total installed solar generation capacity in the UAE and EGA would utilise this additional solar power once it is developed.

The use of solar power in producing EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium significantly reduces the emissions associated with aluminium smelting and provides an opportunity for end users to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.

The deal with Kobe Steel follows CelestiAL supply agreements with BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz parts-maker Hammerer Aluminum Industries.