Employees of Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) celebrated the latest additions to its Phase II expansion: the arrival of the completed first Potshell and the Superstructure. These are the two main components in the aluminium reduction process and key elements in EMAL’s plan to almost double production to 1.3million tonnes upon completion in 2014. The components were manufactured and delivered by a local UAE supplier.
Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrooei, EMAL’s President and CEO and Mr Yousuf Bastaki, Vice President – Projects, were joined by employees to witness the latest EMAL milestone on route to become one of the largest smelters in the world.
Al Mazrooei commented: “Piece by piece EMAL’s Phase II expansion is coming together. Today we are another step closer to our goal of making EMAL a global leader in the aluminium industry.”
The Potshells are designed to use the new DX+ Reduction technology developed by DUBAL and are longer, wider and lighter than EMAL’s existing pots. As a result of their design, the new Potshells are more productive and efficient. 444 new pots will be installed as part of Phase II, each is capable of producing 3.2 tonnes of metal per day, a 10 per cent increase on Phase IPotshells. While the Superstructure provides support for a variety of functions enabling the pots to fully function. Once completedthe pot line will be longest in the world at 1.7 km.
Bastaki, added: “Phase I project plan has provided a solid foundation for EMAL’s expansion. We are on time, on budget and on course to deliver a prosperous future for the Emirates.”
|