DUBAL Holding (DH) is looking at setting up several projects in the UAE, including a low carbon aluminium plant and an electric vehicle battery storage plant, the company CEO said on Wednesday.

DH is the Dubai government's investment arm for power and energy, commodities, mining and industrial projects.

A press statement on the recently concluded AGM in Dubai quoted Abdulnasser Bin Kalban as saying that the investment firm is "actively pursuing [the] development" of an integrated aluminium rolling facility that will produce aluminium with low CO2 footprint, and a battery plant in the country.

He said the projects "will support infrastructure and investment strategy for a potential future assembly line for an electrical vehicle facility to support the UAE Green Economy."

Additional projects under study include an integrated scrap recycling facility and cast aluminium wheel manufacturing plant, he noted.

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), a 50 percent subsidiary of DH, recorded a total production of 1.1 million tonnes of alumina at its Al Taweelah Alumina Refinery in Abu Dhabi in 2019. The company's Bauxite mining project in the Republic of Guinea (Guinea Alumina Corporation) commenced production in August and mined 1.7 million tonnes of bauxite during the year.

Ongoing projects at DH include a 625-megawatt CCGT Power Block and 9 MIGD RO desalination project at EGA-Jebel Ali and expansion of specialised aluminium extrusion capacity.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of DH said EGA remains the third-largest producer of primary aluminium in the world outside China with 2.60 million tonnes of cast metal sales during the year. He said EGA's exports, covering 50 countries and more than 400 customers, account for 87.40 percent of total sales.

The press statement noted that DH has signed a Framework Agreement with EDF of France for possible collaboration in energy projects with particular focus on UAE and is also looking at projects to support the UAE's localisation strategy.

(Writing by Syed Ameen Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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