Copying and distributing are prohibited without permission of the publisher
Middle East magnet
September 24, 2009 - 00:00 GMT
The Middle East is a hotbed of large primary aluminium projects, most of which are proceeding on schedule in spite of the recession. Steve Karpel reviews their progress and possible future plans.
The Middle East is becoming an ever-increasing power in primary aluminium, thanks to governments that are eager to diversify from their predominantly oil- and gas-based economies. Of all the countries in the region, only Saudi Arabia (and to a lesser extent, Iran) has extensive reserves of bauxite, but production of
energy-intensive primary aluminium makes sense where there is an assured and stable power supply. Moreover, either the energy itself or the fuels needed for dedicated power stations are often supplied at favourable long-term rates. This tends to offset the fact that capital costs of new construction in areas such as the Gulf are high.
Global first-half primary aluminium consumption fell 14.9% year-on-year to 16.4m tonnes, while in response, primary production was cut 11.7% to 17.7m tonnes, according to UK-based WBMS (see tables). The big players in the region, however, are looking well beyond the current recession to a time when...
All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. ©
Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC.
Please log in using your online subscriber details.
Your username will be your registered email address with Metal Bulletin.
If you aren't a subscriber yet, feel free to take a seven day free trial, or subscribe using the instructions below.
Subscribe
A standard subscription include one year's worth of news and prices. You can also upgrade to the full archive and benefit from more than 13 years of intelligence. Start your subscription today.
Subscribe
Free trial
Taking a free trial will give you open access to Metal Bulletin online news, prices, archived content and email alert service for the next seven days. Start your free trial today.
Free trial