Aluminium Bahrain and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to study the implementation of carbon capture project to reduce the aluminium giant's emissions.

Alba said in a press statement that the MoU inked with MHI's EMEA unit will pave the way for a feasibility study for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas using technology co-developed by MHI and Kansai Electric Power Company. 

Alba's Chairman of the Board Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa said: "Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) matters are fronting everything we do in Alba. This MoU will play a fundamental role as we want to be accelerators and embed sustainability considerations in our operations to be more environmentally responsible and inclusive."

In early January, Alba had announced that its Spent Pot Lining (SPL) treatment plant, the first of its kind in the region, has commenced full operations. With an annual capacity of up to 35,000 tonnes, the plant will treat and remove the hazardous waste in SPL so that the end-product can be used in the cement and construction industries.

CEO of MHI EMEA, Kentaro Hosomi, said: "As a market leader in decarbonization technology such as carbon capture, storage, and utilisation, MHI Group is proud to support Alba and the Kingdom of Bahrain in reaching their ambitious sustainability goals. It is partnerships such as this that enable the industry to move quickly on the way to carbon neutrality."

According to its website, Alba is the world's largest aluminium smelter ex-China, with a production of more than 1.561 million metric tonnes per annum in 2021.

The Middle East's first commercial-scale carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) facility, owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), is located in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Al Reyadah is also the world’s first fully commercial facility for the iron and steel industry, according to information posted on ADNOC's website.

(Writing by SA Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)
(anoop.menon@lseg.com)  

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