Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) Line 6 Expansion Project has gained further momentum with the handover of 172 pots for commissioning on March 1, bringing Alba one step closer to becoming the world’s largest smelter.

Commenting on this occasion, Alba’s chairman of board of directors, Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa, said: “We are pleased to announce that Potline 6 is now in full ramp-up mode with the handover of the next set of 172 pots for commissioning. “Once the start-up of the additional 172 pots is complete, Alba will have commissioned a total of 212 pots (50% of Potline 6 capacity). We look forward to seeing the positive financial benefits that this additional capacity will bring to our bottom-line,” he said.

The first hot metal from Potline 6 was achieved on December 13, 2018, placing Alba among the 1 million metric tonne smelters in the world. Upon completion in 2019, the Line 6 Expansion Project will boost Alba’s per-annum production by 540,000 tonnes, bringing Alba’s total production capacity to 1.5 million tonnes per year, an Alba statement said.

Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project is one of the biggest brownfield developments in the Middle East region.

With a Capex of approximately $3 billion, the project involved the construction of a sixth potline 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. 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.

JP Morgan, Gulf International Bank (GIB) and National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) are the financial advisors for this project.

As of January 31, 2019, Line 6 Smelter’s overall progress advanced by 83.5% (Engineering progressed by more than 98%, while contracts and procurement advanced by 98%); Power Station 5 & Power Distribution System Overall Progress exceeded 85% and by over 97%, respectively.

The Line 6 project is expected to be transformational for 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 Bahrain, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service

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