sPeCIAL ArABAL - ALUMINIUM-Nachrichten – ALU-WEB.DE

ALUMINIUM INdUstry IN the GULf
Company profile: Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C.
One of the largest aluminium smelters in the world
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) consistently
ranks as one of the largest and most
modern aluminium smelters in the world.
Known for its technological strength and
innovative policies, Alba enforces strict
environmental guidelines, maintains high
track record for safety and is widely regarded
as one of the top ten performers
on a global scale.
It supports numerous community oriented
programmes and social activities that have
underlined its status as one of Bahrain’s leading
industrial organisations that remains committed
towards upholding its corporate social
responsibilities. Alba’s inception marks the
beginning of Bahrain’s strategy to diversify
its economic base and reduce its dependence
on oil. The aim was to establish an industry
that would provide valuable
export earnings, develop the
country’s resources and create
training and employment opportunities
for a large number
of Bahrainis. Alba was therefore
incorporated by Charter
in 1968 and officially commenced
operations in 1971 as
a 120,000 tpy smelter.
Alba today produces more
than 890,000 tpy of the highest
grade aluminium, with products
including standard and T-
ingots, extrusion billets, rolling
slab, properzi ingots and molten
aluminium. Around 50% of
output is supplied to Bahrain’s
downstream aluminium industry,
with the rest exported to
regional and international customers
in the Middle and Far
East, South East Asia, Africa,
Europe and North America.
The Alba plant comprises
five reduction lines, three
casthouses, a dedicated carbon
plant, a 550,000 tpy coke calcining
plant, a water desalination
plant, eleven fume treatment
plants, a marine terminal, and a 2,225
MW power plant, consisting of four power
stations. The plant also features a ten hectare
‘green’ oasis, with more than 7,600 trees and
shrubs, a fruit and vegetable garden, and an
artificial lake.
Aerial view of the Alba site
Alba’s early success established a blueprint for
other non-oil industries to follow, including a
thriving downstream aluminium industry. Today,
the company is a major contributor to
the social, industrial and economic development
of the Kingdom of Bahrain, employing
over 3,000 people, of whom around 90% are
Bahrainis.
The entire plant operates to the Environmental
Management System standard ISO
9001:2000 and the casthouses and marketing
are also operating to the ISO 9002 Quality
Management System. Recently, the casthouse
was upgraded to the 2008 version of
ISO 9001, enabling Alba to be the first metals
manufacturing company in Bahrain to receive
this major upgrade.
The company has won a number of awards
including the inaugural Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman
Al Khalifa Award for Industrial Excellence,
the International Millennium Business
Award for Environmental Achievement from
the United Nations, safety awards from the
British Safety Council and The Royal Society
for the Prevention of Accidents, and a GCCwide
award for human resources development
and nationalisation of the workforce.
The shareholders of Alba are Bahrain
Mumtalakat Holding Company (69.38%),
Sabic Investment Company (20.62%) and the
General Public (10%).
Main highlights
Line 6 expansion project: Alba is progressing
to become one of the largest single site
aluminium smelters in the world through the
Line 6 expansion project, which is expected to
add 400,000 tonnes to Alba’s current production
capacity of 890,000 tonnes, bringing the
total annual production to around 1.3 million
tonnes.
A major phase in Alba’s growth history,
the Line 6 expansion project has gained significant
momentum with the
launch of the Bankable Feasibility
Study (BFS) in December
2012. Bechtel Canada
has been awarded a Letter of
Intent (LoI) to perform the
BFS for the Line 6 expansion
project, and Dubal DX+ technology
will be used as the basis
for this study. The BFS is expected
to be completed by the
first quarter of 2014.
Continued focus on safety:
Safety is regarded as an intrinsic
part of the work life in Alba
and the company is committed
to continuously providing
a safe and healthy work environment
for everyone.
To strengthen the company’s
focus on safety, the Alba
SafeWay Programme was
launched in the second half
of 2012 with three main objectives:
ownership of safety
is everyone’s responsibility;
working safely is a condition
of employment; and all workrelated
injuries and illnesses
are preventable. In addition,
activities and programmes to increase safety
awareness in all aspects of the employees’ life,
both at work and at home, were conducted
and implemented on a plant-wide basis. Some
of these are highlighted below:
• The first HSE Week was launched from 25
© Alba
48 ALUMINIUM · 9/2013