Saudi- Maaden increases investment in aluminium

The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) is playing a key role by developing the mining sector as the third pillar of Saudi industry beyond oil and petrochemicals.

Through its investments Maaden is turning the Kingdom into a major player in global markets for phosphate, aluminum, gold, copper and industrial minerals.

Since its inception Maaden has invested over SR85 billion across all of these product lines building fully integrated projects that extract Saudi minerals and produce finished product for local regional and global customers. According to the report in 2009 Maaden established a joint venture with Alcoa the world's third-largest aluminum producer to build the world's most efficiently integrated aluminum project in Saudi Arabia.

This 10.8 billion (over SR40 billion) project includes a bauxite mine in Baitha in the Qassim region and a refinery a smelter and a very advanced rolling mill all at Ras Al-Khair.

Its product aluminum of the highest international standards will be sold to the domestic and global markets. It will also encourage the development of additional downstream industries within the Kingdom.

The Baitha mine's estimated production of 4 million tons per year of bauxite will be transported via the new North-South Railway Line to Ras Al-Khair where the first alumina refinery in the Middle East will produce 1.8 million tons per year of alumina.

That alumina will be processed in the smelter whose annual production capacity is 740000 tons per year of primary aluminum. The rolling mill is one of the most technically advanced in the world with its 380000-ton annual capacity. It will focus on producing aluminum cans and auto sheet for the automotive industry but also has the capacity to recycle aluminium scrap.

Regarding the environment it mentioned that earlier this year Maaden announced the completion of Saudi Arabia's first engineered wetlands wastewater management system at our aluminium project in Ras Al-Khair.

This unique system designed and engineered by Alcoa to replicate the physical chemical and biological processes of natural wetlands collects and cleans sanitary and industrial wastewater without using chemicals and eliminates odors.

This groundbreaking system will reduce water demand by nearly two million gallons or 7.5 million liters per day saving more than SR26 million (7 million) in fresh water supplies annually.

In addition to its environmental benefits the new system has also eliminated the need for an estimated 1000 tons of steel for piping and tanks. This technology is now being considered for other applications across Saudi Arabia. The cleaned water is reused in the manufacturing process and for irrigation at Ras Al-Khair.