Aluminium Bahrain

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 electricity costs, alumina and raw-material availability, global aluminium prices, freight conditions, environmental regulation and demand from construction, transport, packaging and manufacturing industries. The company completed an initial public offering in 2010 and became dually listed on the Bahrain Bourse and the London Stock Exchange. Its shareholder base has included Mumtalakat Holding Company, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, and Saudi Arabian Mining Company, or Ma’aden. In February 2025, Ma’aden completed the acquisition of SABIC’s 20.62 percent stake in Alba and became the company’s second-largest shareholder after Mumtalakat. Reference material also reports Alba’s completion in June 2026 of a €1.9 billion acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque, a major European aluminium producer. Because that transaction is dated after 2025, its inclusion should be checked against current company and exchange disclosures before publication. Alba is therefore best understood as both a corporate brand and an industrial operating company. Its public identity is associated with Bahrain’s economic diversification, regional aluminium production and the supply of primary and semi-finished aluminium materials to global industrial customers.

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.

1. 2026Reported Aluminium Dunkerque acquisition

   Reference material reports completion of a €1.9 billion acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque; the event requires current-source verification.

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2. 2025Ma’aden became Alba’s second-largest shareholder

   Ma’aden completed its acquisition of SABIC’s 20.62 percent stake in Alba.

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3. 2019Line 6 inaugurated

   The sixth reduction line was inaugurated in November, taking annual capacity above 1.5 million metric tonnes.

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4. 2016Financing commitments secured for Line 6

   Banks committed approximately US$1.5 billion to support the Line 6 expansion.

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5. 2015Line 6 Expansion Project approved

   Alba approved the Line 6 Expansion Project, its largest reported capacity-development initiative.

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6. 2010Initial public offering and dual listing

   Alba completed an initial public offering and became listed on the Bahrain Bourse and London Stock Exchange.

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7. 2005Reduction Line 5 commissioned

   Reduction Line 5 increased total annual production capacity to more than 830,000 metric tonnes.

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8. 2002Coke calciner commissioned

   Alba commissioned a coke calciner to support its aluminium-production system.

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9. 1992Reduction Line 4 and Power Station 3 commissioned

   Alba added Reduction Line 4 and Power Station 3 to expand smelting and supporting power infrastructure.

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10. 1981Reduction Line 3 commissioned

    The company commissioned its third reduction line as part of its long-term capacity expansion.

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11. 1971First aluminium production

    Alba produced its first aluminium in May 1971 with initial annual capacity of 120,000 metric tonnes.

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12. 1969Smelter construction began

    Construction of Alba’s aluminium smelter commenced in Bahrain.

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13. 1968Alba was incorporated

    Aluminium Bahrain was incorporated on 9 August 1968 by Amiri decree.

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An integrated, large-scale primary aluminium producer serving industrial customers in Bahrain and international markets.

• Aluminium ingotsPrimary aluminium products

  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.

• Aluminium billetsSemi-finished aluminium products

  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.

• Primary aluminiumAluminium metal

  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.

• 2025Transfer of SABIC’s Alba stake to Ma’adenM&A

  SABIC’s 20.62 percent interest in Alba was included in a transaction involving Saudi Arabian Mining Company.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2015Approval of the Line 6 Expansion ProjectStrategy

  Alba sought to increase its large-scale primary aluminium output and reinforce its position in the international aluminium industry.

  What changed. 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.

  Source
• 2010Initial public offering and dual listingOther

  Alba pursued public-market access and broader investor visibility for its industrial business.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2026Alba reportedly completed the acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque

  Reference material reports that Alba finalised a €1.9 billion acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque in June 2026. The transaction should be verified against current corporate and exchange disclosures.

  M&A
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• 2026Alba plant was targeted during the 2026 Iran war

  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.

  Other
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• 2026Reported acquisition of Aluminium Dunkerque

  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.

  M&A
  Source
• 2026Reported attack on the Alba plant during regional escalation

  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.

  Other
  Source
• 2025Ma’aden acquired SABIC’s stake in Alba

  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.

  M&A
  Source
• 2025Ma'aden acquires SABIC's stake in Alba

  Saudi Arabian Mining Company completed the acquisition of SABIC's 20.62 percent stake in Alba and became the company's second-largest shareholder after Mumtalakat Holding Company.

  M&A
  Source
• 2019Alba inaugurated Reduction Line 6

  The Line 6 expansion was inaugurated in November 2019, increasing the company’s annual production capacity to more than 1.5 million metric tonnes.

  Product generation
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• 2019Line 6 is inaugurated

  The Line 6 expansion was inaugurated in November 2019, raising Alba's annual production capacity to more than 1.5 million metric tonnes.

  Product generationProduct launch
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• 2016Banks committed approximately US$1.5 billion for Alba Line 6

  Alba secured bank commitments of approximately US$1.5 billion to support development of its Line 6 expansion.

  Other
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• 2016Alba secures financing commitments for Line 6

  Alba secured approximately US$1.5 billion in bank commitments to support its Line 6 expansion project.

  Other
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• 2015Alba approved the Line 6 Expansion Project

  The company approved a major expansion centered on a sixth reduction line, initiating the project that would later substantially increase annual aluminium capacity.

  Other
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• 2015Alba approves the Line 6 expansion project

  The company approved a major expansion intended to increase aluminium production capacity through a new reduction line.

  Product generationOther
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• 2010Alba completed its initial public offering and dual listing

  Aluminium Bahrain completed an initial public offering and became listed on both the Bahrain Bourse and the London Stock Exchange.

  Other
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• 2010Alba completes initial public offering and dual listing

  Aluminium Bahrain completed an initial public offering and became listed on both the Bahrain Bourse and the London Stock Exchange.

  Other
  Source

1. Aluminium Bahrain
2. Alba About Us