Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) has awarded contracts totaling approximately $500 million to GE to provide equipment and long-term services, directly and via engineering procurement contractors, for the EMAL aluminum smelter in Abu Dhabi. The project is expected to result in lower emissions and to enable EMAL to produce aluminum with better fuel efficiency.
GE will supply gas and steam turbines, generators, and a plant-wide control system for EMAL’s Phase II expansion project currently in progress, which will position the smelter as one of the largest single-site aluminum producers in the world. In addition, GE will provide its latest technology upgrades for the gas turbines that supply power for the currently-operating Phase I of the EMAL complex. The technology upgrades will include GE’s latest DLN 2.6+ combustion technology, which is expected to lower nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as extend the lifespan of gas turbines parts by up to three times.
EMAL’s Phase I smelter produces about 700,000 mt/y of aluminum. Phase II, which is being built at a cost of about $4.5 billion, will increase production capacity to about 1.3 million mt/y when it comes on line in 2014.
GE will supply equipment to Samsung C&T, the Korean engineering procurement and construction company building the new combined-cycle power plant for EMAL phase II, including three Frame 9F 3-series gas turbine generators and two SC5 steam turbine generators. When complete, the EMAL Phase II power plant will have capacity to generate more than 1,000 MW of power to EMAL’s expanded operations.
Under a separate contractual service agreement, GE will deliver long-term maintenance support for GE gas turbines at both EMAL Phase I and Phase II. This agreement will help the complex with improved performance and predictable maintenance costs and will provide access to GE’s latest technology and global experience.
“A reliable and efficient supply of power is key to the success of our mission, as electricity accounts for a significant portion of the cost of producing aluminum,” said EMAL President and CEO Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrooei. “GE is successfully supporting both our Phase I and II projects with advanced power generation technology.”
The EMAL aluminum complex is situated in the Khalifa Industrial Zone in Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi, and is a joint venture between Mubadala Development Co. and Dubai Aluminium. EMAL energized the first pot of Phase I on December 2, 2009, and the plant reached its full Phase I capacity in early 2011. Products include aluminum sow, standard ingot, billet and sheet ingot.
