Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), taking its final steps towards becoming the world’s largest aluminium smelter, officially announce the commissioning of its Potline 6 with the First Pot Energisation today Thursday 13 December 2018.

This achievement not only marks the beginning of a new era for the Company but also a breakthrough record as Alba brought forward the First Hot Metal milestone ahead of its scheduled date on January 01, 2019 – making it the fastest construction ever-delivered in the aluminium industry.

To mark this landmark, Alba held a celebration under the Patronage of Alba’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa. The Executive Vice President - Midstream Operations at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) Dr. Ali Al Zarouni and other key EGA officials were the Guests of Honour at this celebration which was also attended by Alba’s Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer Tim Murray, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali, Alba’s Executive Management team, Bechtel Project Director Denis Garrity and other senior Bechtel officials.

Speaking on this milestone Alba’s Chairman Shaikh Daij Al Khalifa said:

“On this dual occasion, the National Day and the commissioning of Potline 6, I would like to express my sincere congratulations and utmost appreciation to Bahrain’s leadership for their guidance and wise directives, and to the Government of Bahrain for endorsing Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project and for trusting us to achieve this landmark project. Celebrating the commissioning of Potline 6 during the much-awaited National Day celebration makes it all the more significant as it will always be remembered.

We are also very pleased to have started the commissioning of Potline 6 safely ahead of schedule and for that I would like to thank Bechtel, our EPCM contractor for Line 6 Expansion Project Smelter, and Alba’s Executive Management for their hands-on orchestration as well as our employees and contractors for embracing extreme ownership.

This milestone precedes the gradual ramp-up of 424 pots in Potline 6 which upon completion will make Alba the largest smelter in the world.”

Bechtel’s Mining and Metals Global Business Unit President Paige Wilson added:

“We are very proud of this achievement. The Alba Potline 6 Project’s 24-month schedule to First Hot Metal, or first aluminium, is six months faster than the industry standard.

This is a world-class achievement for Bahrain, Alba and Bechtel. This success was only made possible thanks to the very strong collaborative relationship Alba and Bechtel have formed.”

As at November 30, 2018, Line 6 Smelter’s Overall Progress exceeded 77% (Engineering progressed by more than 96% while Contracts and Procurement advanced by 97%); Power Station 5 & Power Distribution System Overall Progress exceeded 80% and 96% respectively.

-Ends-

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 981,000 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 (Power Station 5) 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, the 1st tranche of the Export Credit Financing of c. US$ 700 million for Euler Hermes and SERV-covered facilities in July 2017 and the first part of 2nd ECA-tranche of EUR 204.5 million for Bpifrance Assurance Export (“BpiAE”) and Euler Hermes-covered facilities in April 2018. The Company is looking to secure the final part of 2nd ECA-tranche by Q3 2018.

The Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the Project was completed in the first quarter of 2017. The construction site-works have started in the second quarter of 2017 while the mass earthworks was completed by the end of the third quarter of 2017 as per schedule. Alba has also 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. As at November 30, 2018, Line 6 Smelter’s Overall Progress exceeded 77% (Engineering progressed by more than 96% while Contracts and Procurement advanced by 97%); Power Station 5 & Power Distribution System Overall Progress exceeded 80% and 96% respectively.

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. 

Alba External Grievance Mechanism 

Alba, in line with the Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank affiliated lending organisation, has launched its External Grievance Mechanism to receive and facilitate the resolution of the affected communities’ concerns and grievances about Alba’s Environment and Social (E&S) performance.

External grievances about Alba’s E&S performance can be logged via the Alba Integrity Line - an independently operated confidential reporting hotline in multiple languages - via a toll-free phone system or via the intranet 24 hours a day, every day. 

For further details, please contact:

Eline Hilal

Senior Manager, Investor Relations and Corporate Secretary 

Tel:         (973) 1783 5100  

E-mail:   eline.hilal@alba.com.bh 

Website: www.albasmelter.com.bh  

Follow us on:

http://www.twitter.com/Alba4World 

http://www.facebook.com/Alba4World 

http://www.instagram.com/Alba4World 

http://www.linkedin.com/company/aluminium-bahrain 

http://www.youtube.com/Alba4World  

© Press Release 2018

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.