Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has announced that its Q2 2015 output went up by 3.1 per cent, compared to the same quarter last year, despite challenging market conditions
Aluminium production during the quarter was 238,904 tonnes, up from 231,713 tonnes produced in the same period last year. Alba?s sales during the quarter increased by 2,383 tonnes from Q2 2014, reaching 232,193 tonnes in Q2 2015.
Increased output from China has created pressure on global aluminium prices. Major global producers such as United Company RUSAL and Alcoa have been forced to idle capacity in an attempt to provide support in the face of the China-induced supply glut.
Alba owns one of the largest smelters for aluminium in the region. In June, Alba won government approval for a planned US$3.5bn expansion of a production line that will boost its output by more than 50 per cent. A major bulk of the investment, about US$2.5bn will be allotted to build a new smelter and the remaining US$1bn will be used to build the fifth Alba energy plant.
