The Ma'aden Alcoa aluminium joint venture announced yesterday that it has signed a contract worth SR5.6 billion with Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd to construct its alumina refinery at Ras Al Khair in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. The contract includes completing detailed engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning assistance, start-up assistance and training services. The alumina refinery forms part of the fully integrated aluminium project under construction by project partners Ma'aden and Alcoa. The project also includes a bauxite mine at Al Ba'itha and an aluminium smelter and rolling mill, both at Ras Al Khair. The refinery will have an annual production capacity of 1.8 million metric tonnes of smelter-grade alumina and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014, according to a press release issued by Maaden yesterday. --MORE
