Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) completed the pouring of the first concrete foundation for the Reduction Rooms in late June at the Line 5 construction site.

 Representatives from Alba, Bechtel and AA Nass joined together to witness one of the most important milestones in the construction of the Line 5 project, the largest expansion currently in the region.
“The pouring of the first concrete on the Line 5 site is a major milestone for this project as it marks the beginning of the construction phase. In addition, this event marks the timely progress of the Line 5 project since its initial stages of development and indicates the speed and efficiency at which the expansion has been proceeding in order to meet the target schedule,” an Alba spokesman said.

Huma Assiri, civil engineering manager of the project, said an efficient combination of management techniques had ensured that the expansion was proceeding on schedule.
Niall O’Byrne, general manager of the project, commented: “We are confident that as the project continues to develop, the local community will become increasingly aware of the socio-economic benefits resulting from this expansion in terms of greater employment opportunities and a further contribution to the national economy "

Alba’s Potline 5 expansion will raise total capacity to 827,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) by mid-2005 from the current level of 520,000tpa, an increase of 307,000tpa.
Of the total expansion investment outlay of $1.7 billion, the aluminium smelter itself will cost $1 billion with the remainder being allocated to meet construction costs for a 650MW power plant and other costs. Bechtel has been awarded the engineering, procurement construction and management contract. Mott MacDonald holds the engineering and construction management contract for the power station development.
When the new capacity is created, Alba will be the largest smelter facility outside Eastern Europe, said Alba chief executive Bruce Hall.

The expansion will be a boost to Bahrain businesses. “The overall amount to be spent on the smelter in the Bahrain market is $520 million of which $360 million will go for bulk material, local contracts and services and $160 million for labour,” Hall said.
As well as the power station, other aspects of the expansion are a carbon plant with a capacity to produce 190,000 anodes per annum, casthouse facilities to produce ingots and billets, a road network, raw material handling facilities and fume treatment plants to control fluoride emissions.

Potline 5 is expected to boost the company’s contribution to Bahrain’s income from $200 million per year now to more than $300 million.
Alba also officially appointed Alstom as its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the $337 million power-station portion of the project. Bahraini Minister of Oil and Chairman of Alba Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa and Alstom chairman and chief executive Patrick Kron signed the contract in early July.

Under this contract, Alstom will manage the various contracts and procurements of the power station to meet the programme and budget targets previously agreed. It will be required to complete the electrical, mechanical and civil design of the power station as well as supply the electrical and control equipment such as transformers, switchgear and cabling.

“The evaluation process took into consideration the capital costs, the operating costs and the efficiency of the plant over its projected 25-year life span and Alstom was ultimately awarded the contract on the basis of the overall cost benefits to Alba,” the Alba spokesman said.
Alstom’s involvement in this large-scale project will further enhance its reputation as a trustworthy, highly efficient establishment, he added.

Commented O’Byrne: “This contract will ensure that the power generation requirements of the Line 5 expansion are fulfilled while the familiarity of Alba’s maintenance team with the operation and maintenance of Alstom’s gas turbines will ascertain that the construction of the power station proceeds according to schedule and is operated with the highest efficiency.”