Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has selected Alstom Power as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the construction of the $330 million Line 5 power station. The project is part of the $1.7 billion Line 5 expansion which will expand Alba's annual production capacity by a further 307,000 tonnes per year (tpy) from its current 520,000 tpy capacity, making it the largest smelter in the world outside eastern Europe.

A letter of acceptance was signed between the two parties recently. Under the agreement, Alstom Power will manage the various contracts and procurements of the Line 5 power station to meet the programme and budget targets. Siemens Power Generation, Bechtel Power Corporation and Hyundai Heavy Industries Company were the other prequalified bidders for the project. The project consultant is Mott MacDonald.

Meanwhile, Alba has secured a $1.25 billion finance package for the construction of the Line 5 project. Three facilities for a total of $1.05 billlion were signed and a further $200 million have been fully committed and underwritten by four financial institutions.