Alba, SCE, & MOICT Officials Visit Alba’s Spent Pot Lining Treatment Plant
Officials from Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba); Supreme Council for Environment (SCE); and Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism (MOICT); paid an inspection visit to the construction site of Alba’s Spent Pot Lining (SPL) Treatment Plant, the first of its kind in the GCC and Middle East, on Tuesday 20 October 2020.
The visit was led by Alba’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ali Al Baqali, Chief Executive Officer of Supreme Council for Environment, Dr. Mohammed bin Dainah, and H.E. Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Ms. Eman Ahmed Al Doseri, who were also accompanied by officials from Alba, MOICT, and SCE.
This Project is in line with Bahrain’s National Waste Management Strategy led by His Highness Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of His Majesty King of Bahrain and President of the Supreme Council for Environment. The project will provide a value-creating and sustainable solution to treat SPL with ensuring zero-waste.
On this occasion, Alba’s CEO, Mr. Ali Al Baqali said: “The Spent Pot Lining Plant construction is in full swing and we are pleased with the progress we have achieved so far as that will bring us closer to realise our vision in setting the benchmark in terms of sustainability and waste management. I take the opportunity to thank MOICT for their continuous support in this journey and SCE for helping us to address one of the key environmental issues for our industry.”
The CEO of SCE, Dr. Bin Dainah, expressed his pleasure with the efficiency adopted while executing this project and said: “SCE is proud to have such partnership with Alba, which has resulted into this key strategic project that underlines the Kingdom’s efforts towards achieving sustainable development goals.”
Dr. Bin Dainah added:
“Bahrain is about to become home to the first plant in the region to treat this type of waste. This reaffirms the Kingdom’s reputation as one of the leading countries to achieve balance between increased production and environment friendly processes, in addition to having the largest smelter in the world ex-China, which is a source of pride for the entire nation. Transforming 100% of the treated SPL to raw materials for other industries in Bahrain will enhance the success of this project, and we shall all collaborate towards achieving this goal.”
H.E, Undersecretary of Commerce Affairs at the MOICT, Ms. Eman Ahmed Al Doseri, added:
“The Ministry is committed to supporting local companies in developing the industrial sector in Bahrain, which will in turn increase their contribution to the GDP. This is achieved through facilitating the development projects and adopting the most advanced technologies in order to enhance their productivity and set the example in terms of sustainable and environment friendly initiatives.”
Built over 26,000 square meters with annual capacity of 35,000 tonnes of SPL, the Alba’s SPL Treatment Plant commenced construction in 2019 and is expected to start up by Q2 2021. The Project overall progress has advanced by 42% and achieved more than 178,000 safe working-hours without LTI to-date.