The Middle East’s largest aluminium producer has warned that it could take up to a year to fully restore output at a key facility in Abu Dhabi, following damage from an Iranian missile and drone attack.

Bloomberg reported on April 4 that Emirates Global Aluminium said its Al Taweelah smelter was forced into an emergency shutdown after sustaining significant damage. The company has completed an initial assessment and is contacting customers over potential shipment disruptions.

“To resume operations at the smelter, EGA must repair infrastructure damage and progressively restore each of the reduction cells,” the company said in a statement. “Early indications are that a complete restoration of primary aluminum production could take up to 12 months.”

The disruption highlights the vulnerability of global aluminium supply chains to escalating geopolitical tensions in the Gulf. The Middle East accounts for about 9% of global aluminium production, but tight inventories and existing output constraints have amplified the market impact.

Aluminium prices have risen more than 10% on the London Metal Exchange since the start of the Iran war, as traders factor in the risk of prolonged supply outages and logistical bottlenecks linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Al Taweelah is among the world’s largest smelters, producing around 1.6mn tonnes of cast metal in 2025. While associated facilities at the site, including an alumina refinery and recycling plant, may resume partial operations sooner, the timeline for full recovery remains uncertain pending further assessments.

“We are working directly with customers whose deliveries might be impacted by the situation at Al Taweelah,” said Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium.

The strike is part of a broader pattern of attacks on industrial infrastructure across the region. Iran also targeted Aluminium Bahrain’s smelter on March 28, with the company, known as Alba, saying it is assessing the extent of the damage.

Industry participants say the combination of physical damage, constrained inventories and disrupted raw material flows risks tightening global supply further in the coming months, particularly if instability in the Gulf persists.