Aluminium Bahrain
Aluminium Bahrain, commonly known as Alba, is Bahrain’s integrated primary aluminium producer and one of the Middle East’s major aluminium smelting companies.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C., trading under the name Alba, is a Bahraini aluminium producer headquartered in Askar. The company was incorporated by Amiri decree in 1968, began construction of its smelter in 1969, and produced its first aluminium in May 1971. It is widely described as the first aluminium smelter established in the Middle East. Alba was created to develop an energy-intensive industrial base in Bahrain and has since become one of the country’s most important non-oil manufacturing enterprises. The company’s principal activity is the production of primary aluminium. Its operating system combines reduction lines, power-generation assets, casting facilities, a coke calciner and supporting logistics infrastructure. This integrated model allows Alba to convert alumina into molten aluminium through electrolysis and cast the resulting metal into products used by downstream manufacturers. Its product range includes standard aluminium ingots and billets, alongside other cast products and alloys serving industrial applications. The business is primarily business-to-business: its customers are metal processors, fabricators and manufacturers rather than individual consumers. Alba expanded in successive phases after its initial 120,000-tonne annual capacity. Major developments included Reduction Line 3 in 1981, Reduction Line 4 and Power Station 3 in 1992, a coke calciner in 2002, and Reduction Line 5 in 2005. The fifth reduction line lifted overall annual production capacity to more than 830,000 metric tonnes. Further growth came through the Line 6 Expansion Project, approved in 2015 and supported by approximately US$1.5 billion in bank commitments in 2016. Line 6 was inaugurated in November 2019 and raised annual capacity to more than 1.5 million metric tonnes. Alba’s competitive position is based on large-scale production, access to power and industrial infrastructure, product consistency, casting capability and its location within international aluminium supply chains. Like other primary aluminium producers, it is exposed to power costs, alumina and raw-material supply, global aluminium prices, freight conditions, environmental regulation and demand from construction, transport, packaging and manufacturing. The company completed an initial public offering in 2010 and obtained dual listings on the Bahrain Bourse and the London Stock Exchange. Its shareholders include Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding Company and Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden). In February 2025, Ma’aden completed the acquisition of SABIC’s 20.62 percent stake in Alba, becoming the second-largest shareholder after Mumtalakat. Reference material also reports that Alba completed a €1.9 billion acquisition of major European aluminium producer Aluminium Dunkerque in June 2026. Because that transaction is dated after 2025, current company and exchange disclosures should be checked before publication. Alba is therefore best understood as a corporate brand and industrial operating company. Its public identity is linked to Bahrain’s economic diversification, regional aluminium production and the supply of primary and semi-finished aluminium materials to industrial customers worldwide.
History
Aluminium Bahrain was incorporated on 9 August 1968 by Amiri decree as part of Bahrain’s effort to establish a substantial industrial sector alongside its oil economy. Construction of the aluminium smelter began in 1969. The facility produced its first aluminium in May 1971, with an initial annual capacity of 120,000 metric tonnes. This made Alba the first aluminium smelter in the Middle East and gave Bahrain an early position in the region’s emerging energy-intensive metals industry. The company developed around a vertically integrated operating model. Primary aluminium production depends on continuous electrolysis, reliable electricity, alumina feedstock and casting infrastructure, so Alba’s industrial base expanded beyond reduction cells to include power generation, casting and related support systems. Reduction Line 3 was commissioned in 1981. In 1992, the company added Reduction Line 4 and Power Station 3, strengthening both production capacity and its dedicated energy infrastructure. Alba commissioned a coke calciner in 2002 and Reduction Line 5 in 2005. These successive projects increased total annual capacity to more than 830,000 metric tonnes. Alba’s growth reflected both the economics of aluminium production and Bahrain’s national industrial-development strategy. The smelter created a large manufacturing platform, supported related services and helped position Bahrain as a regional centre for aluminium processing and trade. Its output, including ingots and billets, supplied downstream users in international markets. The company’s location, industrial infrastructure and access to energy were central to its development, while its operating results remained subject to aluminium prices, power costs, raw-material markets and global manufacturing demand. A major corporate transition occurred in 2010, when Alba completed an initial public offering and obtained dual listings on the Bahrain Bourse and the London Stock Exchange. The listing broadened public-market access to the company and increased the visibility of Bahrain’s aluminium sector among international investors. In 2015, Alba approved the Line 6 Expansion Project. The company secured approximately US$1.5 billion in bank commitments in 2016, enabling construction and associated infrastructure work. Line 6 was inaugurated in November 2019 and raised Alba’s annual production capacity to more than 1.5 million metric tonnes. The project marked the most significant capacity increase described in the available historical material and reinforced Alba’s status as a major global aluminium smelter. The company’s shareholder structure later changed through a transaction involving Saudi Arabian Mining Company and SABIC. In February 2025, Ma’aden completed the acquisition of SABIC’s 20.62 percent stake in Alba, becoming the second-largest shareholder after Mumtalakat Holding Company, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund. Reference material further reports that Alba completed a €1.9 billion acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque in June 2026. Since this event is dated in the future relative to much of the available historical record, the transaction and its final ownership details require confirmation from Alba, Ma’aden, Aluminium Dunkerque and relevant stock-exchange disclosures. The available material also reports that the Alba plant was targeted on 28 March 2026 during the 2026 Iran war. According to the cited account, the company said two employees suffered minor injuries, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later claimed responsibility. This event is a security and geopolitical incident rather than a corporate misconduct scandal. Its operational, insurance and production consequences are not established by the supplied sources.
- 2026
Reported Aluminium Dunkerque acquisition
[1]Reference material reports completion of a €1.9 billion acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque; the event requires current-source verification.
- 2025
Ma’aden became Alba’s second-largest shareholder
[1]Ma’aden completed its acquisition of SABIC’s 20.62 percent stake in Alba.
- 2019
Line 6 inaugurated
[1]The sixth reduction line was inaugurated in November, taking annual capacity above 1.5 million metric tonnes.
- 2016
Financing commitments secured for Line 6
[1]Banks committed approximately US$1.5 billion to support the Line 6 expansion.
- 2015
Line 6 Expansion Project approved
[1]Alba approved the Line 6 Expansion Project, its largest reported capacity-development initiative.
- 2010
Initial public offering and dual listing
[1]Alba completed an initial public offering and became listed on the Bahrain Bourse and London Stock Exchange.
- 2005
Reduction Line 5 commissioned
[1]Reduction Line 5 increased total annual production capacity to more than 830,000 metric tonnes.
- 2002
Coke calciner commissioned
[1]Alba commissioned a coke calciner to support its aluminium-production system.
- 1992
Reduction Line 4 and Power Station 3 commissioned
[1]Alba added Reduction Line 4 and Power Station 3 to expand smelting and supporting power infrastructure.
- 1981
Reduction Line 3 commissioned
[1]The company commissioned its third reduction line as part of its long-term capacity expansion.
Products and positioning
An integrated, large-scale primary aluminium producer serving industrial customers in Bahrain and international markets.
Primary aluminium products
Aluminium ingots
Aluminium ingots are among Alba’s principal cast products. They provide standardized primary metal for downstream customers that remelt, alloy, cast, roll, extrude or otherwise process aluminium into components and finished industrial goods. The product is primarily sold through business-to-business channels and is linked to manufacturing markets whose requirements include chemical consistency, dependable delivery and suitable casting specifications.
Semi-finished aluminium products
Aluminium billets
Aluminium billets are cast semi-finished forms used especially by extrusion and other downstream processing companies. They serve as feedstock for producing profiles, rods and shaped aluminium components used in construction, transportation, industrial equipment and consumer-product manufacturing. Alba’s billet offering represents the company’s role not only as a primary smelter but also as a supplier of more directly usable industrial material.
Aluminium metal
Primary aluminium
Primary aluminium is the metal produced through Alba’s reduction operations after alumina is converted by electrolysis. It is the foundation of the company’s business and is supplied into global aluminium value chains. Production requires continuous operation, substantial electricity, alumina feedstock, carbon materials, reduction technology and casting capacity, making scale and infrastructure important elements of Alba’s industrial proposition.
Brand decisions
2025
Transfer of SABIC’s Alba stake to Ma’adenM&ABackground
SABIC’s 20.62 percent interest in Alba was included in a transaction involving Saudi Arabian Mining Company.
Action taken
Ma’aden completed the acquisition of the stake and became Alba’s second-largest shareholder after Mumtalakat Holding Company.
Aftermath
The transaction changed Alba’s shareholder structure and increased Ma’aden’s strategic exposure to Bahraini aluminium production.
2015
Approval of the Line 6 Expansion ProjectStrategyBackground
Alba sought to increase its large-scale primary aluminium output and reinforce its position in the international aluminium industry.
Action taken
The company approved construction of a sixth reduction line and associated expansion infrastructure.
Aftermath
Following financing commitments in 2016 and inauguration in 2019, annual capacity rose to more than 1.5 million metric tonnes.
2010
Initial public offering and dual listingOtherBackground
Alba pursued public-market access and broader investor visibility for its industrial business.
Action taken
The company completed an initial public offering and listed shares on the Bahrain Bourse and the London Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
Alba became a dual-listed public company with access to Bahrain and international capital-market audiences.
Recent events
- 2026
Reported acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque[1]
M&A
The supplied reference material reports that Alba finalized a €1.9 billion acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque in June 2026. This future-dated item requires verification against current company announcements and filings.
- 2026
Alba plant was targeted during the 2026 Iran war[1]
Other
Reference material reports that the Alba plant was targeted on 28 March 2026 during regional escalation. The company reportedly said that two employees sustained minor injuries, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later claimed responsibility.
- 2026
Reported attack on the Alba plant during regional escalation[1]
Other
The supplied reference material reports that the Alba facility was targeted on 28 March 2026, with two employees suffering minor injuries, and attributes a later responsibility claim to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The account requires independent verification.
- 2025
Ma'aden acquires SABIC's stake in Alba[1]
M&A
Saudi Arabian Mining Company completed the acquisition of SABIC’s 20.62 percent interest in Alba and became the company’s second-largest shareholder after Mumtalakat Holding Company.
- 2019
Line 6 is inaugurated[1]
Product generation · Product launch
The Line 6 expansion was inaugurated in November 2019, increasing the company’s annual production capacity to more than 1.5 million metric tonnes.
- 2016
Banks committed approximately US$1.5 billion for Alba Line 6[1]
Other
Alba secured bank commitments of approximately US$1.5 billion to support development of its Line 6 expansion.
- 2015
Alba approved the Line 6 Expansion Project[1]
Other · Product generation
The company approved a major expansion centered on a sixth reduction line, initiating the project that would later substantially increase annual aluminium capacity.
- 2010
Alba completes initial public offering and dual listing[1]
Other
Aluminium Bahrain completed an initial public offering and became listed on both the Bahrain Bourse and the London Stock Exchange.
Sources2 sources
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