The plant is a Qatar Petroleum/Norsk Hydro joint venture and will have a first phase capacity of 585kt/y of primary, which is to be achieved through a production ramp-up this year.Qatalum is the largest primary plant built in one phase.
The facility houses the world’s largest casthouse, a smelter, carbon plant and a dedicated gas-fired power plant with a capacity of approximately 1350MW.Qatar Petroleum will supply about 5.6Mm3/d of natural gas to the plant.
The casthouse produces extrusion ingots and foundry alloys. The project is based on Norwegian company Hydro’s electrolytic reduction cell technology whose advantages are low investment costs, high productivity, low energy consumption and reduced emissions.
Alumina is being shipped from Australia and Brazil.The project occupies an area of approximately 2.7km2 and inc-ludes two potroom buildings, where the electrolysis process takes place.
The facility has a port and storage area to handle alumina imports, liquid coal tar pitch and calcined petroleum coke, the materials used for making anodes.
Source Gulf Times, Doha