MANAMA (ALBH): Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba) -- soon to be the world’s largest aluminium smelter with Line 6 – is proud to announce the establishment of the first-of-its-kind Spent Pot Lining (SPL) Treatment Plant in the GCC and Bahrain. A result of the co-operative efforts between Alba and Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), the SPL Treatment Plant is in line with Bahrain’s National Waste Management Strategy led by HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of His Majesty King of Bahrain and President of the Supreme Council for Environment.

With the establishment of this Plant, Alba will be developing a value-creating and sustainable solution for the treatment of SPL with zero-waste. The new plant will have a capacity to treat 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes of SPL a year, which after being processed, can be used in other industries.

Commenting on this initiative, Alba’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali said:

“We are thankful to the Supreme Council of Environment for their continuous support on all fronts and for Alba’s Board of Directors led by our Chairman, Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa, whom without their endorsement, this project would not have been made possible.

Being a responsible corporate citizen, our commitment to Safety and environmental sustainability will always sit at the top of our objectives. Through establishing SPL Treatment Plant, we get closer to meet our company-wide goals in key corporate responsibility areas - in line with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030. We also look forward to progress this project and have it operational by first quarter of 2021.”

Dr. Mohamed Bin Daina, Chief Executive of the Supreme Council for Environment, Bahrain said:

“As one of the pillars of the economy, Alba has been at the forefront of environmental changes in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We are pleased that Alba will lead this transformation in the region with the establishment of the SPL Treatment plant, which will have environmental as well as economic benefits for Bahrain.”

ENDS

About Alba
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), one of the 1 million-metric tonnes smelters in the world, is one of the largest aluminium producers in the world. 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%).

Starting-out as a 120,000 metric tonne per annum (mtpa) smelter in 1971, Alba’s production for 2018 stood at plus-1 million metric tonnes. Alba’s product portfolio comprises high-grade aluminium and Value-Added Products that include standard and T-ingots, extrusion billets, rolling slabs, properzi ingots and molten aluminium. The Company is well-known for its strong Safety culture, employee development and work culture for value-creation and sustainable operations.

About Line 6 Expansion Project 

The pride of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project will make Alba the world’s largest aluminium smelter.

Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project is one of the biggest brownfield developments in the Middle East Region. With a CAPEX of approximately US$ 3 billion, the Line 6 Expansion Project involves the construction of a sixth pot line using EGA’s proprietary DX+ Ultra Technology, a 1,792 MW Power Station (Power Station 5) utilising the world’s first H-class General Electric (GE) 9HA Gas Turbine (GT) and other industrial services.

Alba Potline 6 was commissioned on 13 December 2018, ahead of schedule, with the delivery of the First Hot Metal. Line 6 Expansion Project progress has been fast-paced since then with successfully starting 212 pots, which is equivalent to 50% of Potline 6 total capacity. Alba is now looking at the safe commissioning of the remaining 212 pots and to move closer to full production by Q3 2019.

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 Agencies (ECA) Financing of c. US$ 700 million for Euler Hermes and SERV-covered facilities was closed in July 2017 while the first part of 2nd ECA-tranche of EUR 204.5 million for Bpifrance Assurance Export (“BpiAE”) and Euler Hermes-covered facilities was secured in April 2018.  Alba successfully closed the final instalment of the 2nd ECA-tranche - c.US$136 million and c. EUR90 million from ECA supported-facilities - by end of 2018.

As of 31 July 2019, Line 6 Smelter’s Overall Progress exceeded 97% [Engineering progressed fully (100%) while Contracts and Procurement advanced by 99.55%); Power Station 5 & Power Distribution System Overall Progress exceeded 95% and by over 99% respectively.

Line 6 Expansion Project will be transformational for the Kingdom of Bahrain as it will significantly boost employment opportunities for Bahrainis at both Alba and the local downstream market. It will also present many co-investment opportunities through local and foreign aluminium investments in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

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 & Corporate Secretary
Investor Relations Department
Tel:         (973) 1783 5100
E-mail:   eline.hilal@alba.com.bh
Website: www.albasmelter.com  

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 2019

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.