Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce announced on May 15, 2025, a historic investment in Oklahoma as Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the world's largest producer of "premium aluminum", selected the state as the site for the first new primary aluminum production plant built in the United States in 45 years.
The $4 billion project is expected to create 1,000 direct jobs, 1,800 indirect jobs and enhance Oklahoma's ability to significantly grow its base of additional manufacturing jobs.
"This is a monumental day for Oklahoma," Stitt said. "We are proud to welcome Emirates Global Aluminum to our state and excited for the generational impact this investment will have on our future. … Oklahoma is quickly becoming the critical minerals headquarters of the United States."
The facility will be located on more than 350 acres at the Tulsa Port of Inola, a 2,200-acre industrial park in northeast Oklahoma with access to rail, barge transportation and global waterways. Once complete, the facility will be the largest of its kind in the U.S., producing billets, sheet ingots, high-purity aluminum and foundry alloys.
The smelter's annual capacity would be about 600,000 tons (544,000 metric tons) of primary aluminum, according to a memorandum of understanding signed by Stitt and EGA, the Associated Press reported.
The project is expected to almost double the nation's domestic aluminum production.
EGA said construction should start by the end of 2026, with metal produced before the decade ends, recyclingtoday.com reported.
EGA demonstrated its dedication to Oklahoma by entering into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Stitt on April 21, which detailed the conditions of EGA's investment in the state. The agreement is contingent upon the Oklahoma Legislature approving the terms outlined in the MOU, which includes $275 million from the state and state property, sales and inventory tax exemptions, the Associated Press reported.
"The United States has been an important market for EGA for several decades, and we know there is strong demand for our high-quality metal ‘made in America','" said EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban. "EGA has the skills, technology and capital to start rebuilding this great American industry and, in Oklahoma, I am confident we will secure the right conditions to do so. This is an important moment for EGA and for the economic relationship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates."
Aluminum produced in Oklahoma will support the aerospace and defense sectors — Oklahoma's fastest-growing industry — as well as the automotive, food and beverage, and other critical industries.
EGA established recycled-content aluminum production in the U.S. by buying an 80 percent stake in Spectro Alloys of Rosemount, Minn., in 2024, according to recycling-today.com. EGA has said it will invest to expand from 110,000 metric tons of recycled-content foundry capacity, adding another 55,000 metric tons of output later in 2025.
