The GCC countries have reported a record production of primary aluminium in 2020, surpassing the 6 million tonnes milestone for the first time, in a year which was fraught with challenges and odds.

 

The five primary aluminium producers in the GCC collectively produced 6,115,408 tonnes of high quality primary aluminium in 2020 for the local and international markets, registering an increase of about 6 per cent over the previous year, according to the statistics released by the Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC).

 

The increase of around 353,554 tonnes over the last year (5,771,854 tonnes) is mainly due to the record production achieved by Aluminium Bahrain which ended 2020 by beating its production target of 1,540,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) to top a record of 1,548,500 metric tonnes, the highest-ever achieved in its 50 years of commercial operations.

 

“Aluminium Bahrain’s Line 6 full capacity production and high productivity drive by Ma’aden led the way for 2020,” GAC said in its latest newsletter.

 

Leading the pack of GCC producers is Emirates Global Aluminium, a leader in global aluminium production, as well as one of the largest companies in the UAE, which produced 2,505,000 tonnes in 2020. Its production, however, is down from 2,579,000 tonnes produced in 2019.In the GCC, EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah.

 

Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden comes at the third place at 1,010,562 tonnes and has indeed taken a big jump from 775,500 tonnes produced in 2019.

 

While Qatar’s Qatalum stands at the fourth position with 655,300 tonnes as compared to 661,900 tonnes produced in 2019. Following them is Oman’s Sohar Aluminuun which produced 396,046 tonnes in 2020 as compared to 390,449 in the previous year.

 

Overall, the primary and downstream aluminium producers in the GCC continued to maintain their leadership position in the international market by contributing around 10 per cent of the world aluminium demand exporting 60 per cent of its production to more than 65 countries around the world.

 

The GAC is a coordinating body that represents, promotes and protects the interests of the aluminium industry within the Gulf. The council’s main objectives are to provide a forum to develop strategies for common issues and concerns facing the aluminium industry in the region, and to share best practices so as to improve the efficiency of the industry. - TradeArabia News Service