Ma'aden Aluminum Company has awarded Bechtel the feasibility study contract for its proposed copper and zinc smelter projects on the Arabian Gulf Coast. The multibillion-dollar projects are set to include the construction of two world-class smelters with an output of 500,000 tons of copper per year and an annual production of 200,000 tons of zinc. "Our team in Saudi Arabia will bring a substantial amount of experience both in pyro-metallurgical processes and working in Saudi Arabia and Middle East region to this study," said Russ Barretta, Bechtel's Mining and Metals general manager for North America, Europe, and the Middle East. "We have built a strong relationship with the Ma'aden Aluminum Company in the last eight years of working on its aluminum smelter, Ras Al Khair, which will be the world's largest aluminum smelter when completed in 2013." Bechtel's work on the studies for the copper and zinc smelter projects will be led by a team with strong experience in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The company has 72 years of experience in Saudi Arabia and is a global leader in the mining and metals industry. It has successfully delivered more than 40 mining and metals projects in the Middle East region and more than 2,500 across the world. Bechtel is among the most respected engineering, project management, and construction companies in the world. Bechtel operates through five global business units that specialize in civil infrastructure; power generation, communications and transmission; mining and metals; oil, gas and chemicals; and government services.
