Dubal contracts French Alstom for facility upgrade

02-06-02 The Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) recently contracted the French Alstom firm for the first phase of its infrastructure development scheme. The $ 41 mm contract commissions Alstom to install extensions for three of its kilns. The Kestral development plan was launched last November, aiming to increase Dubal’s aluminium output by 155,000 tons.
The company is working towards maximizing the space available at its Jebel Ali location. The upgrade will be carried out in two phases at a total cost of $ 300 mm with the target date of completion set for mid-2003.

State-owned Dubal commenced operations in October 1979. The plant is built on a 480-hectare site, approximately 35 km South of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Dubal operates one of the largest and lowest cost primary aluminium smelters in the world. At present Dubal produces about 536,000 tpy of primary aluminium.
The company reached a sales volume of 536,000 tons in 2000, supplying a variety of 70 products to 44 countries. The company alone accounts for some 10 % of United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s gross domestic product (GDP) and around 50 % of Dubai's non-oil export revenues, generating more foreign exchange for Dubai than any other industry outside the energy sector.