Alba plans to raise output

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a leading aluminium smelter, is planning to raise its annual aluminium production to one million tonnes during the next two to three years as part of its strategic plans in the Gulf and Middle East. The company's current annual production stands at 870,000 tonnes, with 36 per cent destined for the local market and the remaining for GCC and Asian markets. Prices per tonne of aluminium have dropped by more than 48 per cent to $1,660 in 2009 from $3,200 last year, head of production operations unit Mohammed Mahmood was quoted as saying in our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News. He pointed out that the company has managed to reduce the production cost by 30 to 40 per cent compared to previous years. – TradeArabia News Service