Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has formally appointed Bechtel as its engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPCM) contractor for its $1.7 billion potline 5 project in Bahrain.

Work on Line 5 is due for completion by February 2005 and will raise annual capacity by 307,000 tonnes. The current annual capacity is 520,000 tonnes. Line 5 will make Alba the largest smelter in the world outside of Eastern Europe.

Under this contract, Bechtel will manage the various contracts and procurements of the Line 5 smelter to meet the programme and budget targets agreed between the two parties.

Alba has been working with the Bechtel team since the EPCM was first announced last August.

Meanwhile, the firm's board of directors last month gave approval to spending a total of $21 million to ensure that Alba remains a competitive and environment-friendly smelter well into the future - in line with its five-year business plan.

The board approved 11 capital expenditure projects. Included in these projects are plans to:

* Increase Alba's coke calcining plant capacity from 450,000 to 600,000 tonnes per year (tpy) to maximise export revenue;

* Upgrade casting facilities in the casthouse to improve efficiency;

* Introduce a new pot removal crane system for Lines 1 and 3 to improve pot relining efficiency and thus increase hot metal production levels;

* Automate the monitoring of environmental emissions from the reduction lines.

Chief executive Bruce Hall said: 'Our Potline 5 project will progressively take centre stage over the coming months and the construction work for the 307,000 tpy expansion will begin very soon.'