Aluminium Bahrain’s top brass toured the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries facilities in Japan last week in anticipation of its shipping and delivery of Alba’s new cutting-edge gas turbine to the firm’s aluminium plant in Bahrain.
Alba’s chair Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa led the entourage in a tour of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)’s Takasago Machinery Works and Hydrogen Park, in Hyogo Prefecture Japan. He was accompanied by Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali and Chief Power Officer Amin Sultan.
Along with examining the gas turbine destined for Alba’s power station, the group went to MHI’s headquarters in Tokyo to discuss other matters of mutual interest.
Chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa said in a press release that his firm is eager to take delivery of the new turbine.
“We are very excited to witness first-hand the JAC Advanced Gas Turbine (GT), the first of its kind in the world GT manufactured for a primary aluminium smelter, ready to be shipped to Bahrain for Alba’s Power Station 5 (PS5) Block 4 Project.”
On hand to receive the Alba delegation was Toshiyuki Hashi, Executive Vice President, President and CEO, Energy Systems, Takashi Tozawa, Senior Fellow, Senior General Manager, GTCC Business Division of Energy Systems, and other GTCC business executives.
Alba’s chair praised MHI for its work on the project thus far.
“We are pleased with the on-schedule progress of the US$265 million PS5 Block 4 Expansion Project, which once completed in Q4 2024, will be a turnaround in Alba’s ESG journey as it will reduce our overall GHG emissions, thus setting the benchmark in terms of sustainable and efficient power generation in the aluminium industry.”
Toshiyuki Hashi, Executive Vice President, President and CEO, Energy Systems, said his firm was quite pleased to receive Alba’s emissaries to the plant.
“We are very honored to welcome the distinguished senior Alba delegation to our headquarters in Tokyo and to our Takasago Machinery Works and Hydrogen Park site. As leaders in clean and hydrogen-ready power generation technology, MHI is proud to provide our latest advancements to support Alba’s goals of ensuring a reliable and efficient power supply, while continuously enhancing its operational excellence and productivity. Together, we are driving the industry forward to a decarbonized future with clean energy solutions that not only reduce environmental impact but also pave the way for a sustainable and prosperous tomorrow. This visit further strengthens our partnership and reinforces our commitment to support our industrial partners accelerate their energy transition, particularly in the hard-to-abate sectors.”
Alba says the gas turbine, once operational by the end of next year, will boost the nameplate capacity of the PS5 Complex from 1,800 MW to 2,481 MW and cut greenhouse gas emissions intensity ratio by 0.5x.
