Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) is one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters, and the largest outside China. Located in the south of Bahrain, Alba produces over 1.5 million metric tonnes of aluminium annually, making it a cornerstone of Bahrain’s non-oil industrial base.
History
Alba was established in 1971, the same year Bahrain gained independence from Britain. Commercial production began in 1972. The smelter was conceived as a strategic industrial investment to diversify Bahrain’s economy beyond oil — a prescient decision given that Bahrain’s hydrocarbon reserves were already recognised as limited relative to its Gulf neighbours. The facility has undergone multiple expansions over its five decades of operation.
Line 6 Expansion
The most significant recent development was the completion of Line 6 in 2019, a $3 billion expansion that increased production capacity by approximately 540,000 tonnes per year. Line 6 made Alba one of the world’s largest single-site smelters and cemented Bahrain’s position as a major global aluminium producer. The expansion was funded through a combination of equity, project finance, and export credit agency facilities.
Ownership
Alba is listed on the Bahrain Bourse. Its largest shareholders are Mumtalakat (the Bahrain sovereign wealth fund) with approximately 69 percent, and SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) with approximately 20 percent. The remaining shares are publicly traded.
Economic Significance
Alba is Bahrain’s largest industrial enterprise and its single most important non-oil export earner. The smelter and its downstream value chain — including rolling mills, extrusion plants, and fabrication facilities — account for a significant share of Bahrain’s non-oil GDP and industrial employment. Alba’s output feeds both domestic downstream industries and export markets across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
The smelter is energy-intensive, consuming a substantial share of Bahrain’s natural gas production. This creates a structural link between Bahrain’s energy sector and its industrial base.
Role in Vision 2030
Within the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, Alba represents the most mature example of successful industrial diversification. The vision calls for expanding Bahrain’s non-oil productive sectors, and Alba demonstrates that this is achievable at globally competitive scale. The downstream aluminium cluster that has developed around Alba — including Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill and Midal Cables — illustrates the multiplier effects that the vision seeks to replicate across other sectors.