Alba ... expansion under way,

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the Bahrain-based aluminium smelter, said that construction has started on site on its landmark Line 6 expansion project following the completion of the Feed (front-end engineering design) study.

The expansion covers an area of approximately 60 hectares. As the required earthwork cut-and-fill volume is about 1.8 million cu m, the ‘surface mining’ technique has been chosen as the preferred method to remove earthwork materials in order to meet the schedule and cost requirements of this project. The contracts for removal of bulk material for the sixth potline have been awarded to local contractors who are now working in conjunction with the surface miners.

Alba’s chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa said: “Line 6 Expansion Project has started to take shape with the site being mobilised for preparation work – one of the major activities – which will ensure the rapid start of construction activities.”

As of the first week of June, approximately 40 per cent of the material to be excavated for the potline had been removed. 

Earthworks at the Line 6 Expansion Project are expected to be completed by the end of September.