ABU DHABI, 29 June 2006 — A $6 billion world-class green-field aluminum smelter complex project at the Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone in Abu Dhabi has gathered momentum as a contract for the feasibility study and environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the ambitious project was awarded to SNC Lavalin. The project is being developed jointly by Dubai Aluminum Company (DUBAL) and Mubadala Development Company.
Under the contract, SNC-Lavalin will conduct a full feasibility Study and EIA and will recommend strategies to mitigate any environmental impacts and to ensure full compliance with local and international standards and regulations.
“The award of the EIA study together with the feasibility study demonstrates Mubadala and DUBAL’s commitment to global best practices in implementing such a huge project, and the great importance attached to environmental protection and sustainable development,” said Khaldoon Khalifa Al-Mubarak, chief executive officer, Mubadala Development.
The first phase of the project with around 700,000-ton annual capacity will be operational in 2010. When all phases of the project are completed, the smelter will have 1.4 million mtpa annual capacity, which will make it the largest single site aluminum smelter in the world.
“This mammoth project is expected to be the first of a number of joint projects between Mubadala and DUBAL, targeted to make the UAE a top-tier player and a global force in the aluminum industry,” said Abdulla Jasim ibn Kalban, CEO of DUBAL.