Oklahoma Inks Deal With Uae Company To Build $4B Aluminum Smelter

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma state officials announced a deal Friday with a private company in the United Arab Emirates for the construction of a $4 billion aluminum manufacturing facility in northeast Oklahoma.

Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Department of Commerce officials say the deal with Emirates Global Aluminum would result in the first new aluminum smelting facility to be built in the U.S. in 45 years.

The annual capacity of the smelter would be about 600,000 tons (544,000 metric tons) of primary aluminum, according to a memorandum of understanding signed by Stitt and the company's CEO.

The project is expected to create about 1,000 direct jobs and 1,800 indirect jobs, commerce officials said. The facility would be constructed on more than 350 acres (140 hectares) at the Port of Inola, east of Tulsa. The agreement is contingent upon the Oklahoma Legislature approving a package of financial incentives that includes $275 million from the state, as well as state property, sales and inventory tax exemptions.

According to EGA, some 85 percent of the aluminum needs of American industries, from automotive to aviation and construction, are currently met by imports.

Construction is expected to begin after a feasibility study and by the end of 2026, with first hot metal by the end of the decade.