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ECONOMICS
Vazquez, managing director of Harbor Aluminium
Intelligence, who spoke to delegates
on who is winning and losing in the global
aluminium industry and supply chain today.
“Who is getting the value?” he asked. “It is
not the producer for sure.” Today, consumers
are getting the greatest value ever, with
real LME aluminium prices at a cycle bottom
below USD2,000/t, compared to the historical
average of USD2,650/t and a high of about
USD4,700/t.
In his view there are two main sources of
growth in the next five years: emerging Asia
(including the Gulf) and the Americas. Over
16 million tonnes of new aluminium capacity
should hit the market by 2015, two thirds of
this in China for domestic consumption. The
Middle East too is well placed. “We see the
Middle East as the leading provider for growing
world metal needs ahead and the Americas
/ Europe / South East Asia as increasing
import players,” he said.
Outlook of the automobile industry
David Cutting, director of J. D. Power Automotive
Forecasting, spoke about the Global
Light Vehicle Market, which is heavily depend-
ent on aluminium.
The global light vehicle
market is predicted
to break through
the 100 million barrier
by 2015, almost
doubling in volume
since the end of the
1990s. Emerging markets,
led by China,
India, Brazil and Russia,
have driven much
of the recent growth
and are expected to
remain key motivators
of future growth.
Light vehicle production
growth in Asia is expected to significantly
outpace the other regions (with share of output
increasing from 48% in 2011 to 53% by
2016).
Shambhu Prasad, senior expert at Gulf
Organisation for Industrial Consulting, noted
that aluminium usage has increased to 140 kg
per car in 2011 – predominantly in the drivetrain,
chassis and suspension, and body. The
automotive industry is the largest market for
aluminium castings, which account for more
Qatalum smelter at Mesaieed Industrial City
than 50% of aluminium used in cars.
The day and the conference as a whole
wrapped up with a Culture Night at Skeikh
Faisal Bin Qassim al Thani Museum, with a
tour of the museum followed by a dinner at
Majlis hall, at which delegates could discuss
the connections made, information shared
and arguments put forward over three days
of discussion about the aluminium industry at
national, regional and international level.
© Qatalum
Dubal’s DX+ technology selected by Alba
Dubai Aluminium has signed an agreement
with Aluminium Bahrain whereby the latter will
use Dubal’s DX+ technology for Alba’s Potline
6 Bankable Feasibility Study. Tim Murray, chief
executive of Alba, pointed out that study would
determine the viability of Alba’s sixth potline expansion
project, which will boost the company’s
aluminium production capacity by approximately
400,000 tpy to 1.280 million tonnes.
Dubals’s DX+ technology is an enhanced version
of Dubal’s proven DX technology. DX+ is
designed to operate at higher amperages and
optimised performance levels. Five DX+ cells, built
in a pilot line at Dubal’s Jebel Ali site in 2010,
initially operated at 420 kA and currently operate
stably at 440 kA. At this level, the DX+ cells yield
substantially better energy efficiency and specific
energy consumption levels than DX cells, and
produce 3,37 tonnes of aluminium per pot per
day. Ultimately, DX+ cells are expected to operate
at 460 kA.
While in the UAE, the Alba delegation visited
Dubal’s Potline 8 – a dedicated 40-cell potline
within the greater smelter operations where
Dubal’s proprietary, in-house developed DX technology
has been fully operational since February
2008, and visited Dubal’s DX+ pilot section. The
Alba delegates were also accompanied on a tour
of Emal in Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi, where 756
DX technology cells, arranged in two potlines,
have been fully operational at Emal Phase I since
the end of December 2010.
“Dubal’s reduction technologies have
been designed fully-modelled and extensively
tested. The results consistently
confirm that both DX and DX+ technology
operate stably, demonstrating not only
the robustness of their design but also the
suitability of both to the Gulf climate,” said
Abdulla Kalban, president and chief executive
of Dubal. “We are delighted that Alba
has recognised these qualities as evidenced
by the selection of DX+ technology for the
Line 6 Bankable Feasibility Study.”
Bechtel to conduct feasibility study
Alba has awarded Bechtel Canada a letter
of intent to conduct the feasibility study
for Potline 6. The study will include the
economic analysis for the construction of a new
Power Station 5. Bechtel has considerable industry-specific
experience in the region and was previously
the EPCM contractor for the Alba Potline
4 and 5 expansions. The study is expected to be
complete by the third quarter of 2013.
View of the Alba site
© Alba
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