500 new jobs set to be created at Alba
MANAMA: Five hundred new jobs will be created at a leading aluminium smelter as a major expansion project is underway.
Alba is expected to start production at the $3 billion Line 6 Expansion Project by 2019, which will boost the smelter’s annual production by 540,000 tonnes.
This will take the total production capacity to 1.5 million tonnes per year which will make Alba the world’s largest single-site aluminium smelter.
“Line 6 is a huge project that will have significant impact on the economy,” said Alba chief executive Tim Murray.
“If we combine Alba and the aluminium industry then it is about 10 per cent of the gross domestic product, and we will be adding 15pc once Line 6 is operational. We are expecting to have about 500 direct jobs within Alba and eventually between 2,000 to 3,000 jobs in the downstream sector.”
He maintained that despite challenges, they were “still on target” to meet the 2019 deadline for the Line 6 project.
Mr Murray was speaking yesterday on the sidelines of an event to launch a new safety awareness campaign titled ‘My Health ... My Responsibility’ which targeted Line 6 contractors.
The event was attended by Labour and Social Development Ministry officials, including Labour Affairs Under-Secretary Sabah Al Doseri who highlighted the importance of abiding by the country’s annual ban on outdoor work between midday and 4pm in July and August.
