Metals

Bahrain produces more than 2% of the world’s aluminium output, being home to the second-largest aluminium smelter in the world. Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), which began operations in 1971, today has an annual capacity of more than 1.5 million metric tonnes.

Bahrain is also the base of several manufacturing plants which produce various iron and steel products from imported raw materials, including raw steel, stainless steel, steel-reinforcing bars, direct-reduced iron, iron ore and iron pellets. Ferroalloys produced in Bahrain include ferromanganese and silicomanganese, two products used extensively in the production of steel.

These products serve local requirements and are also exported to downstream markets in the GCC and internationally.

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba)

Alumunium Bahrain (Alba) is the second-largest aluminium smelter in the world with an annual production capacity of than 1.548 million metric tonnes per year.

Alba was officially incorporated in 1968 and began operations in 1971 with an annual capacity of 120,000 metric tonnes per year, steadily increasing its capacity over the decades. Its latest Line 6 Expansion Project, which was worth over US$ 3 billion and increased capacity by 540,000 metric tonnes per year, was one of the largest brownfield expansion projects.

The Alba plant comprises six reduction lines, three cast houses, four carbon plants, a petroleum coke calciner and seawater desalination plant, 11 fume treatment plants, a marine terminal and five power stations.

Alba produces 10 kg and 22.5 kg standard ingots, rolling slabs, Properzi bars, extrusion billets, T-ingots, liquid metal, and sows conforming to London Metal Exchange standards, which are supplied to downstream markets across the GCC and beyond.

Alba is one of only two smelters in the world to have a dedicated coke calciner, with a production capacity of nearly 550,000 metric tonnes per year. It also has three carbon plants that produce about 550,000 metric tonnes of anodes per year.

Other Metals

Bahrain also produces several iron and steel products as well as ferroalloys which are used in steel production.

Apart from aluminium, Bahrain produces several other metal products:

• Bahrain Steel BSCEE (Foulath Holding B.S.C.) is a leading producer of iron-ore pellets used in the production of steel. It operates two pelletising plants in the Kingdom of Bahrain with a total capacity of 11.0 million tonnes per year. It is one of the three major merchant pelletising producers in the world and the only one in the Middle East.
• United Stainless Steel Company (USCO), which is owned by Foulath Holdings, is the Middle East’s first stainless steel re-roller with an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes of cold rolled stainless steel. USCO commenced commercial operations in 2008.
• United Steel Company ("SULB") BSC (c) is the Middle East region's first fully-integrated medium and heavy beams and structural steel sections producer. Located in the Kingdom of Bahrain, SULB is a joint venture between Gulf United Steel Holding Company ("Foulath") BSC (c) and Japan's Yamato Kogyo Co.
• Bahrain Ferro Alloys BSC (c) produces high-carbon ferromanganese and silicomanganese, two products used extensively in the production of steel.