Ma’aden is constructing an aluminium smelter as part of Phase 1 of an industrial complex located at Ras Az Zawr on the east coast of Saudi Arabia.

The contracts awarded to Fives Solios are:

• The Liquid Pitch Marine Terminal at the port, designed to unload liquid pitch from ships at a rate of 300t/h and to store it in two 6000t tanks. This facility will include features such as liquid pitch magnetic coupling. These technologies will bring investment and operating cost savings, as well as improved anode quality and pot performance compared to conventional plants.

• A 62t/h Bath Processing Plant equipped with a Rotary Breaker. This facility will include raw bath feeding, bath grinding and classifying, ground bath storage and utilities.

• Four Gas Treatment Centers (GTCs) consisting of 18 TGT-RI dry-scrubber modules, fitted with the Yprios dual ducting system to reduce emissions during pots opening for operation and maintenance. The GTCs also include air pins designed to cool potline gas, Forced Cooling Networks to cool down pot shells, and a fresh and fluorinated alumina handling system.

The Fives Solios dry-scrubbing technology can maximise the pots amperage and productivity whilst reducing global emissions of the smelter.

• 15 Furnaces for the Casthouse with associated launder systems:

- Five 135t Tilting Holding Furnaces for slab Vertical Direct Casting,

- Five 100t Tilting Holding Furnaces for ingot casting,

- Three 85t Tilting Holding Furnaces for billet casting,

- One 36t Static Melting Furnace capable of receiving a 32t coil, and one 90t Tilting Melting furnace fitted with a bottom mounted EMS, both for the scraps remelting facility, and five Siphoning systems.

When completed, the Ma’aden casthouse will include the largest capacity of modern furnaces worldwide.

Following the successful completion of Alba 5 in Bahrain, Sohar Aluminium in Oman, Emal in the United Arab Emirates and Qatalum in Qatar, the award of major contracts by Ma’aden Aluminium Company confirms the position of Fives Solios in the field of primary aluminium production in the Gulf region.