Alba, Creating One of the World's Largest Aluminum Smelter

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Established in the mid 1960's, Aluminum Bahrain (Alba) was created by the Bahrainian government in an effort to diversify the country's hydrocarbon dominated economy. In 1971, Alba opened its doors as a 120,000 tones-per-year aluminum smelter. Since then, Alba has become an ISO 14001 certified, 530,000 tones-per-year aluminum smelter with 50% of its production meeting the needs of downstream aluminum industries in Bahrain.

Alba, the world's largest single-site aluminum producer, sits on a complex comprised of four reduction lines with a total of 1,048 cells, a dedicated carbon department, a 1,500 MW power plant, an ISO 9002 certified, 450,000 tones-per-year coke calcining plant, and a marine terminal. Alba's product range includes ingots, T-ingots, billets & rolling slab, with a metal purity level of 99.88%.

Recently, Alba awarded world renowned Bechtel Engineering Company an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Management (EPCM) contract for a fifth potline. Due for completion in February 2005, the project calls for expanding Alba's annual production capacity by a further 250,000 tones-per-year, making it the third largest aluminum smelter in the world, surpassed only by two Rusal owned smelters. Rusal's Bratsk smelter has a rated annual capacity of 900,000 tons and its Krasnoyarsk smelter produces 850,000 tons-per-year.

At a total cost of US $ 1.7 billion, the Alba aluminum smelter expansion will create an estimated 4,000 jobs, and will include a new 625 MW combine cycle power station, carbon plant, casthouse, and other facilities. Line 5, just as in the previous expansion, will utilize Pechiney's AP30 technology, with 336 reduction cells, and would be the longest potline in the world at a length of more than one kilometer.

Alba, under the leadership of Mr. Bruce Hall as the Chief Executive, is owned by the Government of Bahrain (77%), SABIC Industrial Investments (20%), and Breton Investments (3%). In its thirty-year history, the company's commitment to the environment and community, as evident by its ISO certifications, has also earned it several awards including the International Millennium Business Award for Environmental Achievement and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Environment Award. Alba is one of only 12 companies in the world the to win the UNEP Environment Award.