Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba), one of the world's largest aluminum smelters, achieved a significant milestone in its Power Station 5 (PS5) Block 4 Project with the arrival of Mitsubishi Power's M701JAC Gas Turbine (GT) on October 16, 2023.
The M701JAC GT is the first of its kind in the world, designed for a primary aluminum smelter and installed in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This JAC GT, an air-cooled variant of the J-series GT and Steam Turbine, boasts a combined cycle output of 680.9 MW and offers a notable reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional coal-fired boilers and turbines worldwide.
On October 24, 2023, a special gathering took place at the Block 4 Project site to commemorate this milestone. The event was attended by Alba's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ali Al Baqali, Chief Power Officer, Mr. Amin Sultan, and other high-ranking officials from Alba Management. Also present were Mr. Takashi Tozawa, Senior Fellow and Senior General Manager of the GTCC Business Division of Energy Systems at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Mr. Javier Cavada, President and CEO, EMEA, Mitsubishi Power, Mr. Khalid Salem, President, MENA, Mitsubishi Power, and Mr. Kong Lingfeng, Vice President of SEPCOIII, along with representatives from ESBI, the ECM consultant for the project.
Commenting on this occasion, Alba's CEO, Mr. Ali Al Baqali, expressed his satisfaction, saying, "The presence of the Gas Turbine at Alba's Project site brings us one step closer to enhancing our operational efficiency and accelerating our ESG transformation in alignment with the Kingdom's objectives of achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2060. The state-of-the-art JAC GT will help us reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and deliver clean energy. Once fully commissioned, this GT will support our vision to be a sustainable and responsible aluminum producer. I extend my gratitude to our partners, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and SEPCOIII, for their support in achieving this project's milestones safely and on schedule. I also want to thank our Project team for achieving around 1.5 million safe working hours without Lost Time Injuries (LTI)."
Mr. Takashi Tozawa, Senior Fellow and Senior General Manager of the GTCC Business Division of Energy Systems at MHI, added, "Today marks an important milestone in our growing partnership with Alba, with the on-schedule progress and arrival of Mitsubishi Power's advanced JAC gas turbine at Alba's new Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Block 4 in Power Station 5. This project reflects Mitsubishi Power's ongoing commitment to provide state-of-the-art and hydrogen-ready gas turbine technologies and services to support Alba and our partners in Bahrain in achieving their power and decarbonization goals, in line with the Kingdom of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 for sustainable development."
Mr. Kong Lingfeng, Vice President of SEPCOIII, stated, "We are dedicated to supporting Bahrain's energy goals and meeting Alba's expectations by timely installing the gas turbine and generator. SEPCOIII aims to leverage Chinese expertise to boost Alba's production capacity while delivering this project within the established schedule."
Alba's PS5 Block 4 Expansion Project involves adding a fourth Block with a similar combined cycle configuration, featuring a 680.9-megawatt (MW) M701JAC Gas Turbine Combined Cycle and integration into the existing 220kV Substation. Upon becoming operational in Q4 2024, Block 4 will raise the nameplate capacity of the PS5 Complex from 1,800 MW to 2,481 MW and reduce its overall GHG emissions intensity ratio by 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per 1 tonne of aluminum produced.