EGA achieves adjusted EBITDA of AED 2.5 billion ($693 million) in difficult market conditions

World’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ producer focused on operational efficiency, cash generation and delivering strategic upstream projects amid lower prices for finished metal and proportionately much higher prices for raw materials

Financial highlights of 2019

• Revenue of AED 20.5 billion ($5.6 billion), a reduction of 12 per cent from AED 23.5 billion ($6.4 billion) in 2018, driven by lower world prices for aluminium but partially offset by a higher volume of value-added products.
• Adjusted EBITDA of AED 2.5 billion ($693 million) compared to AED 4.4 billion ($1.2 billion) in 2018, amid lower prices for finished metal and proportionately much higher prices for raw materials in H1 including alumina driven by global supply shortage due to the curtailment of a major refinery in Brazil.
• Cash generated from operating activities of AED 4.1 billion ($1.1 billion), compared to AED 5.4 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2018.
• Optimised operating working capital further to release in excess of AED 1.5 billion ($400 million) of cash.
• Smelting EBITDA margin of close to 14 per cent, ranking amongst the best globally for similar businesses, compared to 20 per cent in 2018.

Operational highlights of 2019

• Sales of 2.60 million tonnes of cast metal (2018: 2.64 million tonnes). EGA remains the third largest producer of primary aluminium in the world outside China.
• Value-added products or ‘premium aluminium’ at 87.4 per cent of total sales, sold to more than 400 customers in over 50 countries. EGA continues to be the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ producer by volume.
• Sales to local UAE customers of 294 thousand tonnes (2018: 275 thousand tonnes), representing 11 per cent of total sales, supplying the important downstream aluminium industry in the UAE.
• Al Taweelah alumina refinery began production in April 2019, produced 1.1 million tonnes of alumina in 2019.
• Guinea Alumina Corporation began production in August 2019, total bauxite ore mined of 1.7 million tonnes in 2019.
• UAE’s first industrial technology export project, the transfer of EGA’s DX+ Ultra technology to Aluminium Bahrain, completed with technology performance exceeding guarantees.
• Record level of Emiratisation with 39.8 per cent of in-focus roles held by UAE Nationals at the end of 2019. Some 17 per cent of supervisory roles are held by women.

United Arab Emirates: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas and the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ producer, today reported adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (adjusted EBITDA) of AED 2.5 billion ($693 million) for 2019.

2019 was a challenging year for the global aluminium industry with lower prices for finished metal and proportionally much higher prices for raw materials in H1 including alumina driven by global supply shortage due to the curtailment of a major refinery in Brazil. This impacted margins and financial results across the sector. Despite these market conditions, EGA’s smelting EBITDA margin for 2019 was close to 14 per cent, ranking amongst the best globally.

EGA maintained its position as the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ producer by volume, with sales of value-added products of 2.3 million tonnes or 87.4 per cent of total sales, sold to more than 400 customers in over 50 countries. Value-added products attract higher premiums over benchmark prices than those achieved by standard aluminium and enable EGA to maximise the value of its primary aluminium production.

EGA sold 2.60 million tonnes of cast metal in total in 2019 compared to 2.64 million tonnes in 2018, but the company gained market share in many key markets and customers.

Local sales, to the downstream aluminium sector that has grown around EGA into one of the UAE’s most significant industries, were 294 thousand tonnes, an increase of seven per cent.

Cash generated from operating activities was AED 4.1 billion ($1.1 billion), delivered through improved operational efficiency. EGA continued to improve working capital, which was reduced by more than AED 1.5 billion ($400 million) in 2019 to generate additional cash.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “2019 was a challenging year for the global aluminium industry and we took strong action at EGA to reduce our costs, improve our operational efficiency, and maximise cash generation. EGA’s key strengths, including our highly-efficient smelting technology and market leadership in value-added products, enabling us to achieve competitive EBITDA margins in the global aluminium industry “Market conditions last year further validated our strategy of controlling our own supply of bauxite and alumina and reducing our exposure to volatile raw materials prices. During 2019 we completed construction and made excellent production ramp-up progress at both our strategic upstream growth projects.” Lower benchmark aluminium prices led to a reduction in revenue to AED 20.5 billion ($5.6 billion), compared to AED 23.5 billion ($6.4 billion) in 2018, partially offset by the higher volume of value-added products.

EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery began production in April 2019, and produced 1.1 million tonnes in 2019. EGA’s bauxite mining subsidiary, Guinea Alumina Corporation, began bauxite exports in August 2019, with total bauxite ore mined of 1.7 million tonnes in 2019.

EGA’s safety performance continued to compare favourably to global industry benchmarks in 2019. EGA’s Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate in 2019 was 1.9 per million hours worked, compared to 1.27 in 2018. According to the International Aluminium Institute, the global average Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate in the aluminium industry in 2018 (the latest year for which data is available) was 3.4 per million hours worked. Only one injury at EGA in 2019 required more than seven days off work. EGA achieved its long-standing goal of zero heat-related incidents during the hot summer months in 2019.

EGA finished 2019 with its highest-ever rate of Emiratisation, with some 39.8 per cent of in-focus roles at EGA held by UAE Nationals. More than 1,100 UAE Nationals work at EGA in total, and some 840 of these employees are under the age of 35. Some 17 per cent of supervisory roles at EGA are held by women.

In 2019, EGA made further progress in aligning its corporate sustainability approach to the performance standards developed specifically for the aluminium industry through the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative. In May, EGA’s Al Taweelah site became the first in the Middle East to secure certification to the ASI Performance Standards.

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© Press Release 2020