Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalaum) have signed an agreement targeting the licensing of UAE-developed EGA technology to the Indonesian company.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) also focuses on co-operation on the upgrade of an existing Inalaum smelter and the development of a new aluminium smelter in Indonesia, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

The MoU was signed by Abdulla Kalban, managing director of EGA, and Orias Petrus Moedak, president director of Inalaum.

Under the MoU, the two companies will evaluate the potential to form a joint venture to develop a greenfield aluminium smelter in Indonesia. Specific contributions to the joint venture could include services related to technology, the supply of raw materials, and the marketing of metal.

EGA and Inalaum are already cooperating on the potential brownfield upgrade using EGA technological know-how of Inalaum’s existing aluminium smelter in North Sumatra, under an MoU signed in 2018.

This cooperation has included the short-term secondment of Inalaum engineers to EGA in the UAE for training in reduction cell modelling and design.

Kalban said: "We are pleased to expand our cooperation with Inalaum and look forward to exploring further how we can together make these important projects for Indonesia a reality. EGA’s technology is proven both in the UAE and internationally, and we believe that we can make a big contribution to the success of Inalaum’s expansion plans, and potentially even in future a vertically-integrated alumina refinery, to the benefit of both our countries."

Moedak said: "I am pleased that we have developed a strong and cooperative relationship with EGA which has now led to the signing of this MoU. At Inalaum, we are looking forward to deepening our work with EGA and to potentially deploying EGA’s technology in Indonesia."

EGA has developed aluminium smelting technology in the UAE for more than 25 years and has used its own technology in every expansion since the 1990s. EGA has also retrofitted all its older production lines. EGA’s latest aluminium smelting technology is amongst the most efficient in the world.

EGA recently completed a historic three-year project to transfer its UAE-developed DX+ Ultra technology to Aluminium Bahrain for its Potline 6 expansion project. The transfer was the first time a UAE industrial company had licensed its core process technology internationally, in a milestone for the development of a knowledge-based economy in the UAE.