INOLA, OKLA. — Emirates Global Aluminium plans to open a $4 billion manufacturing plant near Tulsa in northeastern Oklahoma, an initiative that is expected to facilitate the direct creation of about 1,000 new jobs. A timeline for opening was not announced, but Recycling Today reports that construction could begin as soon as the end of next year.
The facility will be located on more than 350 acres at Tulsa Port of Inola, a 2,200-acre industrial park with access to rail and nautical transportation networks. Once complete, the facility will be the largest of its kind in the country, producing billets, sheet ingots, high-purity aluminum and foundry alloys.
The new Emirates facility is also expected to be responsible for the creation of 1,800 indirect jobs. According to ChemAnalyst, at full capacity, the plant will be able to annually produce 600,000 tons of the metal, a figure that reflects a virtual doubling of the current domestic aluminum production.
The project team says this facility represents be the first manufacturing plant for this material to come on line in the United States in the past 45 years. The news follows that of the $300 million investment from CBC Global Ammunition, which also selected Oklahoma earlier this month for a manufacturing operation that is expected to create 350 jobs.
“We are proud to welcome Emirates Global Aluminium to our state and excited for the generational impact this investment will have on our future,” says Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt. “Thanks to our pro-business environment, Oklahoma is quickly becoming the critical minerals headquarters of the United States as President Donald Trump looks to onshore our nation’s supply chain for critical minerals.”
“Oklahoma’s selection as the preferred site for the first new primary aluminum production plant built in the United States in nearly half a century is a landmark achievement for our state,” adds Lonnie Paxton, president pro tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate. “This is a clear testament to the work we’ve done to make Oklahoma a more attractive destination for business growth and innovation.”
— Taylor Williams