Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) has announced a Dh700 million ($200 million) Phase II expansion of its Potline 5 and 6, which will increase its production capacity by 60,000 tonnes per year (tpy).

The expansion plan is part of Dubal’s roadmap to increase the total production capacity to 1.5 million tpy.
Dubal chief executive officer Abdullah J Kalban says the expansion, to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2007, will increase the smelter’s production capacity to 920,000 tpy from its current capacity of 760,000 tpy.
Dubal’s Phase I expansion is being implemented on its Potlines 7B and 9B to add 100,000 tpy to increase the current capacity to 860,000 tpy. Potline 9B will be completed shortly, and Potline 7B will be completed by November.
Potline 5B will be using Dubal’s tried-and-tested D20 technology to be consistent with the existing lines. Potline 6B will use the improved in-house Dubal technology, which will be built as a separate, independent line to act as prototype technology. However, the additional cells on Potline 5 will also be provided with the facility to enable further experimental exercise to improve the technology, says Kalban.
Dubal’s in-house built technology will aim to achieve the highest smelting operation performance. Potline 5B will add 32 pots and Potline 6B will add 40. The number of pots in operation at Dubal totals 1,321.
Kalban says additional casting facilities following this expansion will not be required as this can be accommodated in Casthouse 3.
“In keeping with our policy of laying paramount importance to environmental safety, 20 per cent of the total investment in the expansion will be spent on environmental protection plants,” he adds. “There will be a dedicated new fume capitation and treatment plant with advanced controls system for the treatment and monitoring of emissions to ensure it does not exceed the global regulatory standards.”