S&P Global Energy Aluminum Symposium 2026: EGA America exec talks about the company’s growth in the US

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has been investing in the U.S. market recently, having taken an 80 percent stake in Rosemount, Minnesota-based secondary aluminum producer Spectro Alloys in 2024 and more recently announcing plans to build a primary aluminum smelter in Oklahoma.

At the end of January, Century Aluminum, headquartered in Chicago, joined EGA on that project, which has been increased from 600,000 metric tons of annual production when EGA first announced it to 750,000 metric tons.

Jake Skelton, CEO of EGA America, speaking during the S&P Global Aluminum Symposium 2026, Feb. 1-3 in Coral Gables, Florida, said the investments reflect the company’s commitment to the U.S. market.

“This is our largest single-country market in the world, so we're committed to supporting this [market] and continuing to support the growth that we're seeing in the coming years," he said.

He said EGA is excited about its partnership with Century, adding that the company is the largest continuous primary aluminum producer in the U.S., while EGA brings its expertise in constructing large-scale complexes with state-of-the-art technology. “It just seems like a natural fit for us, and we're excited to continue to develop this project and get the shovel in the ground.”

The multibillion-dollar investment will create 1,000 jobs locally, Skelton said, in addition to creating “an ecosystem around the smelter with downstream players.”

EGA has found success in part because of the Middle East’s low-cost energy environment, which is not an advantage in the U.S., moderator Karen McBeth of S&P Global Energy noted.

In response, Skelton stressed EGA’s desire to be closer to customers.

“If we're producing it here in America, we don't have to pay the [Section 232 aluminum] tariffs. If it's here domestically, it's a better option for supply chains [and] for customers, and we're committed, as I said, to this market. So we want to continue to build closer to our customers,” he said. “The other thing, too, is all the technologies that are here now are very old technologies. … This would be the first smelter in 50 years. So, bringing our technology to this market is a good opportunity.”

Skelton said Oklahoma is a relatively energy-rich state with a power grid that offers a great deal of green energy via wind and solar, which is another attractive aspect of the location.

“We're in advanced negotiations with PSO [Public Service Company of Oklahoma], which is the regulated energy group for Oklahoma. We're positive about the outcomes of that, and, hopefully, we'll have something that we can announce to the market at some point here in the near future.”

Skelton adds that PSO will have to increase its energy output as a result of the smelter project, and how it will use wind, solar and natural gas to do that remains to be seen. “We obviously want to work towards our low-carbon needs. But … what we're really more focused on is made in America right now. And I think for us, as the grid advances and changes, so will our ability to have low-carbon offerings if the market demands it.”

He said the market is demanding American-made and high-recycled-content aluminum currently, which its investment in EGA Spectro Alloys is helping the company deliver through its Revival brand recycled billet. EGA is selling that product in addition to other products it imports to the U.S., growing the company’s overall U.S. market share.

EGA Spectro began its billet production in August of last year, Skelton said. The company has been working to get “the bugs out,” enabling it to produce primary quality billets with recycled content.