RIYADH: The joint venture smelter project in Ras Al-Khair will help establish the Kingdom as the regional leader in the global aluminum industry, says Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld.
His remarks came as the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) and Alcoa celebrated the achievement of the First Hot Metal milestone at the project.
This milestone marks the successful commissioning of the first of 720 smelting furnaces or “pots,” and is a key step toward the commercial production at the smelter.
At the ceremony marking the event in Ras Al-Khair, Maaden President and CEO Khalid Al-Mudaifer said the achievement of First Hot Metal in only 25 months from the pouring of first concrete is testimony to the vision of the Saudi government and the dedication of Maaden, Alcoa and their respective contractor teams.
“Today we see the first aluminum produced in Saudi Arabia, and the launch of a new industry — one based on the natural resources and human talent of the Kingdom, the vision of the government, and the close friendship and collaboration of Maaden and our joint venture partner, Alcoa,” Mudaifer said.
“The regional strength and expertise of Maaden and the technological leadership and global market reach of Alcoa is a winning combination,” he said.
The Alcoa chairman also said the ceremony in Saudi Arabia represented a momentous event for Alcoa and clear demonstration of the company’s focus on disciplined execution.
The Maaden-Alcoa joint venture will be the lowest-cost producer within our global smelting system, Kleinfeld said.
Abdullah Busfar, chairman of the Maaden Aluminium joint venture, said: “We want to congratulate Bechtel and its team of 46 different sub-contracting companies that employed the labor and expertise of about 14,000 people from 25 different nationalities to reach this milestone.”
Kingdom a step closer to regional aluminum hub status
