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Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), home-base of the Line 6 Expansion Project, set the benchmark for sustainable power generation with the successful installation of the first H-class General Electric (GE) 9HA Gas Turbine (GT) at its Power Station (PS) 5. With this, Alba has become the first aluminium smelter in the world to use the largest and most efficient gas turbine produced by GE.
A ceremony was held to celebrate this occasion today, 28 November 2017 under the Patronage of Alba’s Chairman of Board of Directors, Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa and was attended by Alba Board Directors -- Dr. Mohamed Kameshki and Mr. Yaser E. Humaidan from Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company and Ahmed Mohammad A. Al Jabr from Sabic Industrial Investments Co.
Alba’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali, Chief Power Officer Amin Sultan, Alba Executive Management along with senior officials from GE Power: the President & CEO Power Services, MEA Joseph Anis; the President & CEO Gas Power Systems Sales, MENA Ghassan Barghout; the President & CEO Gas Power Systems Projects, MENA & India Mohammad Ali and the Global Projects Leader, Gas Power Systems Manuel Valverde as well as the CEO of GAMA Ahmet Ligvani were amongst the key attendees at this ceremony.
Speaking on this occasion, Alba’s Chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa said:
“Line 6 Expansion Project is our pride. This Project will be transformational as it will raise the bar for sustainability in the global aluminium industry by using cutting-edge technology, both for Potline 6 and the Power Expansion Project.
The successful installation of the GE 9HA GT is a significant milestone for Alba and underlines our commitment to environment preservation and sustainable development. We thank GE-GAMA Consortium for their continuous support and look forward to successfully achieving all milestones together as per schedule.
I thank Alba Executives for their support, and especially Amin Sultan and the PS 5 team for their diligent efforts towards this landmark achievement.”
During the ceremony, Joseph Anis presented a token of appreciation to Alba Chairman to mark this significant occasion.
President & CEO of GE’s Power Services Business in MEA, Joseph Anis added:
“GE has supported Alba’s vision of growth and operational excellence since the 1970s when we first supplied Frame 5 units for Power Stations 1 and 2. Today, it is our honor to equip and set-up Power Station 5 for Alba in collaboration with GAMA.
We are particularly excited that GE’s HA gas turbine technology, which has set industry efficiency benchmarks in the conversion of fuel to electricity, will help Alba’s Power Station 5 become one of the most efficient combined cycle power plants in the Gulf region.
As Alba continues its mission to position itself as a leading global smelter, GE remains committed to supporting this journey.”
Alba’s PS 5 is a 1,792 megawatts (MW) Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant with an efficiency of 54%. GE and GAMA Consortium is the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor PS 5 wherein GE will provide three 9HA gas turbines, three steam turbines and three high recovery steam generators (HRSGs) for PS 5.
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About Alba
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) - one of the largest and modern aluminium smelters in the world - is renowned for its premium grade aluminium products, technological strength and innovative policies, strict environmental guidelines and high track record for safety. Established in 1971 as a 120,000 tonnes per annum smelter, Alba today produces more than 971,000 metric tonnes per annum of the highest grade aluminium, with products including standard and T-ingots, extrusion billets, rolling slab, properzi ingots, and molten aluminium.
Alba is listed on both the Bahrain Bourse and London Stock Exchange, and the Company’s shareholders are Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (69.38%), SABIC Industrial Investment Company (20.62%) and the General Public (10%).
About Line 6 Expansion Project
Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project is one of the largest brownfield developments in the region. Expected to begin production by January 1st 2019, this Project will boost the smelter’s per-annum production by 540,000 metric tonnes, bringing its total production capacity to 1.5 million metric tonnes per year.
With a CAPEX of approximately US$ 3 billion, the Line 6 Expansion Project involves the construction of a sixth pot line utilising EGA’s proprietary DX+ Ultra Technology, a 1,792 MW power station and other industrial services.
Bechtel is the EPCM contractor for the Line 6 Expansion Project smelter. For Power Station 5 (PS 5), GE and GAMA Consortium was awarded the EPC contract, while Siemens is the Power Distribution System contractor. J.P. Morgan, Gulf International Bank (GIB) and National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) are the Financial Advisors for this Project.
In June 2015, Alba Board approved the Line 6 Expansion Project and in November 2015, Alba secured the natural gas supply for this Project.
Alba successfully closed a US$ 1.5 Billion syndicated term-loan facility comprising two tranches: Conventional Facility & and Islamic Facility in October 2016 as well as c. US$ 700 million Export Credit Financing (Euler Hermes and SERV-covered facilities) in July 2017. The Company is looking to secure the second tranche of the Export Credit Agency (ECAs) within the second half of 2017.
The Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the Project was completed in the first quarter of 2017 while the construction site-works have started in the second quarter of 2017 and will be completed by September 2017. Alba has laid the First Concrete in Potline 6 Foundation in May 2017 wherein the concrete foundations will reach 85,000 m3 upon completion by December 2018.
The Line 6 Expansion Project will make Alba the world’s largest single-site aluminium smelter and be a significant economic boost for the Kingdom of Bahrain due to the many co-investment opportunities through local and foreign aluminium investments.
For further details, please contact:
Eline Hilal
Manager – Investor Relations & Corporate Secretary
Investor Relations Department
Tel: (973) 1783 5100 (direct)
Fax: (973) 1783 3822
E-mail: eline.hilal@alba.com.bh
Website: www.albasmelter.com
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© Press Release 2017
