Aluminium Bahrain awards power block contract to Mitsubishi Power and SEPCO III

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a Bahraini aluminium smelter, has awarded a full turnkey contract to a consortium of Mitsubishi Power and SEPCO III for expanding Power Station 5.

The existing power plant at the Alba aluminium smelter will see the addition of a new 680.9MW combined cycle gas turbine power block.

As per the terms of the contract, Mitsubishi Power and SEPCO III will be responsible for designing, engineering, procuring, constructing, and commissioning the new power block.

Mitsubishi Power is a power solution brand of Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, while SEPCO III is a Chinese construction and engineering company.

The role of Mitsubishi Power will be to supply a combined cycle power plant, which features a M701JAC gas turbine, an air-cooled version of J-series gas turbines, and a steam turbine.

Aluminium Bahrain awards power block contract to Mitsubishi Power and SEPCO III. Photo courtesy of AluminIum BahraIn B.S.C. (Alba).

According to Aluminium Bahrain, JAC gas turbines can use up to 30% hydrogen fuel by volume, to reach 100% hydrogen fuel in the future with minimal modification of the existing infrastructure.

Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa — Aluminium Bahrain Board of Directors Chairman said: “We are thrilled to add a fourth block into Power Station 5 to bring its power output to more than 2.4 gigawatts (GW). Investing in efficient gas turbine, our latest ambitious power project, will accelerate our ESG transition and enable Alba to reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions as we embrace Bahrain’s objectives to reach Net Zero by 2060.

“We are also excited to partner with Mitsubishi Power & SEPCO III consortium, and we look forward to achieving all milestones together and as per schedule.”

Mitsubishi Power will further make use of its experience and innovation to build and supply the power technology, which includes the gas turbine, generators, steam turbine, and auxiliaries, apart from providing technical support, with commercial operations set to start in Q4 2024.

Hideshi Kawamoto — President and CEO of Mitsubishi Power said: “At Mitsubishi Power, we are proud to support Alba and the Kingdom of Bahrain to achieve their sustainable development goals by providing our advanced technology.

“Working with our partners, SEPCO III, we are committed to help Alba, the world’s largest aluminium smelter ex-China, meet its operational efficiency and decarbonization goals, with our hydrogen-ready J-series gas turbine technology that leads the world in efficiency, productivity and reliability.”