Gulf News reported that Riyadh Saudi Arabia plans to establish a giant primary aluminum production plant worth SAR 26 billion.
As per report, the plant will have a production capacity of 720,000 tonnes of primary aluminum in a year.
This information was contained in a study conducted by the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting. The report showed that Saudi Arabia is working on a full fledged plant to process bauxite ore and establish an aluminum smelter in Ras Al Zour, north of Jubail on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian Mining Company signed a cooperation agreement with Rio Tinto Alcan to build an aluminum smelter and rolling mill as part of Phase 1 of the Aluminum Complex, located in the Minerals Industrial City at Ras Al Zour.
According to the GOIC study, entitled aluminum trade and industry in GCC states, the Maaden and Alcan JV is part of a strategic project to obtain raw minerals in Al Zobaira mining region. The project also includes an aluminum refinery with an annual capacity of 1.6 million tonnes and an aluminum smelter with an annual productive capacity of 720,000 tonnes in addition to a huge port for export of the products. There will also be a power generating plant with a capacity of 1,400 MW. These projects will make electricity, steam and desalinated water available to the region.
The study said that the mining facilities in Al Zobaira will be linked with the refinery and smelter in the new mineral industrial city in Ras Al Zour via the ambitious north south railroad. It said that the kingdom is also building a huge aluminum smelter at its prestigious King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, on the western coast of Saudi Arabia.
The Phase I of the project will have a production capacity of 700,000 tonnes and the investment will reach about USD 5 billion. This was under an agreement signed between Emaar, the Economic City in Jeddah and Emirates Aluminum. It is expected that the project will create 2500 jobs and attract huge investments.