MANAMA (ALBH): Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), the world’s largest aluminium smelter ex-China, has signed Australian-based Regain as the technology partner for its Spent Pot Lining (SPL) Treatment Plant.

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Alba’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa on 20 November 2019 and Regain’s Managing Director Bernie Cooper, Strategic Consultant Frank Briganti as well as Alba Executives - Chief Operations Officer Dr. Abdulla Habib, Chief Admin and Supply Officer Waleed Tamimi, Chief Financial Officer Bryan Harris, Director Safety, Health & Environment Moh’d Khalil along with other Alba officials.

Commenting on this occasion, Alba’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Shaikh Daij said:

“Alba Spent Pot Lining Treatment Plant is about ‘pioneering the future’. As Bahrain’s leading industrial company, we aim to be fully aligned with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 and are committed to advancing sustainable initiatives that will benefit Bahrain and our Company.

We also believe in collaborating with companies that help us innovate and grow, and are truly pleased to have partnered with Regain for a sustainable and cost-effective solution for the treatment of SPL.”

Alba announced the establishment of the first-of-its-kind SPL Treatment Plant in the GCC and Bahrain in September 2019. The SPL Treatment Plant - expected to be operational by Q1 2021 - is in collaboration with Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) and is a zero-waste process with a capacity to treat 30,000 - 35,000 tonnes of SPL a year then convert it to value- product. The estimated budget for establishing the SPL treatment Plant is close to US$ 44 million.

Regain’s Managing Director Bernie Cooper commented:

“Alba has provided the vision and has the scale of operation to enable a world-class SPL solution. The SPL Treatment Plant to be established in Bahrain will set new global benchmarks in terms of environmental sustainability and economics for transforming SPL into value-added products. Alba is to be congratulated on this initiative. Regain is pleased to be providing SPL technology and to be working with Alba to bring the vision of a world-class SPL solution to reality.”

Regain’s proprietary technology not only provides process technology to transform SPL into valuable products but also a complete recycling solution to realise significant environmental and economic gains. Since 2002, Regain has treated more than 370,000 tonnes of SPL from smelters in Australia owned and operated by major aluminium producers.

-Ends-

About Alba

Bahrain was the first country in the Arab region to start an aluminium smelter. Starting-out as a 120,000 metric tonne per annum (mtpa) smelter in 1971, Alba today is a 1-plus million-metric tonnes smelter. 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

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%).

Entering its fifth decade of commercial operations, Alba is rightly regarded as a pioneer in the industrial history of both - the Gulf region and Bahrain - carving an enviable reputation in Safety, Employee Development and sustainable operations.

About Line 6 Expansion Project

Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project was inaugurated by His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain on 24 November 2019. Line 6 Expansion Project has made Alba the world’s largest smelter ex-China. Potline 6 will boost Alba’s per-annum production by 540,000 metric tonnes, bringing Alba’s total production capacity to 1.54 million metric tonnes per year.

With a CAPEX of approximately US$3 billion, the Line 6 Expansion Project was the largest brownfield expansion in the region. The Project comprised: construction of sixth pot line utilising EGA’s proprietary DX+ Ultra Technology, a 1,792 MW Power Station (Power Station 5) and other industrial services.

Bechtel was the EPCM contractor for the Line 6 Expansion Project smelter. For Power Station 5 (PS5), GE and GAMA Consortium was awarded the EPC contract, while Siemens was the Power Distribution System contractor.

Alba started 106 pots in Line 6 on 26 March 2019 followed by another 106 pots on 18 April 2019. Alba Potline 6 was commissioned on 13 December 2018 with the delivery of the First Hot Metal ahead of its schedule. Alba also announced an achieved savings of more than US$370 million in the execution of Potline 6 – corresponding to 16% savings of its allotted budget.

The Line 6 Expansion Project achieved a total of 60,893,000 working-hours without Lost Time Injury as on 21 November 2019.

One of Bahrain’s flagship asset, the Line 6 Expansion Project will be transformational to Bahrain and its people. Alba will continue to focus on the local and regional downstream cluster and seek opportunities to contribute further to the economic diversification of the Kingdom.

MILESTONES

POWER EXPANSION PROJECT - 2018

Energisation of 33KV Substation                                             30 May

Energisation of 220 KV Substation                                          30 September

Alba Gas Station Handover                                                     15 October

Rectifier Energisation                                                              25 October

First Fire of Gas Turbine – Unit 1                                            30 October

Complete Rectifier Short Circuit Test                                      03 November

POWER EXPANSION PROJECT - 2019

Commercial Operation Date 1                                                 25 August

Commercial Operation Date 2                                                 26 October

 

LINE 6 SMELTER - 2018

First Cathode Sealing Operation                                             31 January

Handover of 1st 36 Pots in Potroom F to operations               25 November

Handover of 1st 36 Pots in Potroom F to operations               25 November

Start Short Circuit Test                                                            26 November

Start Anode Bake Furnace Dry-Out                                        28 November

First Pot Energisation                                                              13 December

First Green Anode                                                                   15 December

First Cold Charge of Furnace 3 in Casthouse 4                      26 December

LINE 6 SMELTER - 2019

Successful testing of 40 pots                                                   16 February

Started operations of 106 pots                                                26 March

Started operations of additional 106 pots                                18 April

Start Short Circuit Test (southern 212 pots)                           31 May

Safe Start-Up of the last pot (#424)                                        21 July

Last Hot Metal                                                                         31 July

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

© 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.