RTX, Tawazun Council and EGA sign MoU to explore gallium production

Tawazun Council, RTX (RTX) and Emirates Global Aluminium, or EGA, the world’s largest producer of “premium aluminium,” signed a memorandum of understanding to establish EGA as a new producer of gallium, a critical mineral used across global supply chains. This initiative would create gallium extraction and refining capabilities at EGA’s alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi and make the UAE the world’s second largest producer of gallium. Gallium has applications across many different sectors, including in the production of semiconductors, electric vehicles, medical devices and telecom infrastructure. For the defense industry, the supply of gallium is critical as it is a key component of defense products including advanced radars. This new agreement would secure access to this critical mineral for companies including RTX. EGA and RTX anticipate entering into an agreement to conduct a feasibility study for a high purity gallium plant at EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery, which processes bauxite ore into alumina, the feedstock for aluminium smelters. Gallium is found in trace amounts in bauxite. As gallium is an impurity in aluminium, gallium levels must be carefully managed in metal for the most demanding applications.