Alba inks agreement with Mitsubishi Power and SEPCO III to construct Block 4 at Power Station 5

The world's largest aluminium single-site smelter, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) is on course to start building its fourth additional block at Power Station Five. The above remarks were made by Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa, Chairman of Alba's Board of Directors, during the signing ceremony with Mitsubishi Power & SEPCO III consortium on 16 May 2022 at Al Oasis Hall in Alba.

Counting 680.9 megawatts (MW) of Combined Cycle Gas Turbines at Alba, Mitsubishi Power, a power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), and SEPCO III consortium signed a full turnkey contract for the expansion on 16^th May.

Mitsubishi Power Ltd. President and CEO Hideshi Kawamoto, Dr Javier Cavada, President of Mitsubishi Power Middle East and North Africa and GTCC Business Unit Leader, Khalid Salem, SEPCO III Vice President Kong Lingfeng, and Alba CEO Ali Al Baqali, CPO Amin Sultan attended the signing ceremony.

According to the contract, Mitsubishi Power & SEPCO III consortium will design, engineer, procure, construct, commission and maintain 680.9 megawatts (MW) combined cycle gas turbine power plant. Among the components of Mitsubishi Power's combined cycle power plant are an M701JAC gas turbine, an air-cooled J-series gas turbine, and a steam turbine.

In order to meet future decarbonisation needs, JAC gas turbines can burn up to 30% hydrogen fuel by volume, enabling them to be able to run completely on hydrogen with minimal infrastructure modifications.

Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa said: “We are thrilled to add a fourth block into Power Station 5 to bring its power output to more than 2.4 gigawatts (GW). Investing in an efficient gas turbine, our latest ambitious power project will accelerate our ESG transition and enable Alba to reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions as we embrace Bahrain’s objectives to reach Net Zero by 2060.”

“We are also excited to partner with Mitsubishi Power & SEPCO III consortium, and we look forward to achieving all milestones together and as per schedule.”

Hideshi Kawamoto, the President and CEO, Mitsubishi Power Ltd. and Senior Fellow, Deputy Head of Energy Transition & Power Headquarters of Energy Systems, MHI, commented on the agreement signature said: “At Mitsubishi Power, we are proud to support Alba and the Kingdom of Bahrain to achieve their sustainable development goals by providing our advanced technology.  Working with our partners, SEPCO III, we are committed to helping Alba, the world’s largest aluminium smelter ex-China, meet its operational efficiency and decarbonisation goals, with our hydrogen-ready J-series gas turbine technology that leads the world in efficiency, productivity and reliability.”

“The Alba Power Station 5, Block 4 Project aligns with our mission to empower our customers with the most advanced, innovative and clean energy solutions, and our ongoing commitment to help the Middle East and North Africa region achieve a robust, reliable and resilient energy infrastructure that brings it one step closer towards a carbon-neutral society,”  Kawamoto added.

Kong Lingfeng, the Vice President of SEPCOIII, said: “We are delighted to work with Alba on the landmark Alba Power Station 5 Block 4 project with our partners Mitsubishi Power. SEPCOIII will deliver a state-of-the-art power plant with superior turnkey project execution expertise that meet the highest levels of quality and safety and Mitsubishi Power’s industry-leading gas turbine technology, to demonstrate Alba’s aluminium industry leadership. In addition, we are committed to providing efficient and clean energy throughout the construction of this project, in line with SEPCOIII’s mission to build excellent projects, fulfilling customers’ aspirations and promote the welfare of society, which will contribute to Alba's sustainable and green development strategy.”

Mitsubishi Power will utilize its decades of experience and innovation to develop and provide power technology, such as gas turbines, steam turbines, generators, and auxiliaries, as well as provide technical support, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in Q4 2024.