Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) marked a significant milestone Tuesday in its ‘100 Day Safe Startup’ challenge when the Line 5 Reduction Team successfully commissioned 25% of the new Reduction Line. This achievement was realized in just under 25 days following the launch of the 100-day venture at the end of last month. To commemorate the occasion and thank the employees for their support, the Line 5 Reduction Team treated everyone to an on-site lunch.
Having successfully kicked off the ‘100 Day Safe Startup’ challenge last month, a week ahead of the scheduled date, Alba is on track in realizing one of the most ambitious challenges witnessed to-date by the global aluminium industry - the safe startup of its new Reduction Line in just 100 days. Once achieved, the ‘100 Day Safe Startup’ will break the current world record by over 80 days and set a new world record for the fastest startup of an Aluminium Reduction Line.
“With 25% of the 336 pots successfully commissioned in less than 25 days, I am confident that we will realize the ‘100 Day Safe Startup’ challenge within the set timeframe. I would like to commend the Line 5 Reduction Team and all of Alba’s supporting units for their extraordinary effort and hard work in achieving this goal with the highest safety and quality standards as is customary of a project of such magnitude” commented Bruce Hall, CEO of Alba.
This significant venture is set to bring Alba’s US$ 1.7 Billion Line 5 Expansion Project to its ultimate climax by establishing a reputation for the company as a world leader in the aluminium industry while further positioning the Kingdom of Bahrain in the limelight of the international arena.
“With the startup of the 5th potline in just 100 days, Alba can pride itself in having set a benchmark in global industrial excellence. This will be a grand finale for the Line 5 Expansion and an admirable accomplishment for the company and its employees who, in the last two years, since the start of the planning and preparations for this challenge, have been working cohesively towards achieving this goal” continued Hall.
The Line 5 Operations Team in coordination with all of Alba’s supporting units, are required to energize an average of 4 pots a day to ensure that all 336 pots equally spread over the 1.2-km Reduction Line – currently the longest in the world - are fully operational within the 100-day timeframe.
The Line 5 Reduction Team is now working towards completing the 50% pot commissioning milestone before the middle of April.
Alba’s Line 5 Expansion Project marks a historic milestone in Bahrain’s aluminium industry and firmly establishes Alba as both a regional and global leader in its field. The creation of the 5th potline will expand the company’s annual aluminium production by over 300,000 tonnes per annum, making Alba the largest aluminium smelter in the world outside of Eastern Europe with a total output of 830,000 tonnes per annum.
This landmark development has brought major added benefits to the Kingdom and its economy with the creation of over 4,000 jobs during construction and over 500 permanent jobs during operation. This large-scale expansion has also created many lucrative opportunities for Bahrain-based companies and the local contractors who benefited from attractive budget allocations and exposure to work practices of international standards through Alba’s and Bechtel’s intensive safety measures and training schemes implemented throughout the Line 5 construction period. In addition, with the Line 5 expansion, Alba’s contribution to the local economy is set to increase to approximately 12%.
