On October 4th, 2009, HE Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar visited the Qatalum Project in Mesaieed. Accompanying him were Terje Vareberg, Head of the Hydro Board and Svein Richard Brandtzaeg, Hydro CEO. Mr. Abdulla Salatt, Chairman of the Qatalum Board of Directors and other board members were also present as were some General Managers of industries based in Mesaieed. The delegation was led by CEO, Truls Gautesen, DCEO, Hassan Al Rashid and the Qatalum management team.
Terje Vareberg, Head of the Hydro Board welcoming HE Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah into the Qatalum reception. Mr. Abdulla Salatt, Chairman of the Qatalum Board of Directors is seen in between
Top: Mr. Abdulla Salatt, Chairman of the Qatalum Board of Directors with Dr. Ali Al-Sidiky in the background, a Director on the Qatalum Board Right: HE Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah signing the Qatalum Guestbook
There were two objectives behind this high level visit with overall interest being paid to the approaching start up of Qatalum, the first aluminium smelter in Qatar. At a total cost of US$ 5.6 billion, Qatalum is an equal share joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and Hydro of Norway and will be fully operational during the third quarter of 2010.
The first significant achievement is that a venture of this magnitude is 90% complete, on budget and on time. This demonstrates the potential of the strategic cooperation between Qatar Petroleum and Hydro to initiate, plan, build and operate a world-class project. Qatalum will produce its first aluminium by the end of 2009.
Qatalum will be the largest green-field smelter ever built in a single phase. The smelter comprises of two 1.2 km long pot rooms containing 352 cells each, a Casthouse which produces 350,000t/y of extrusion ingots and 275,000t/y of foundry alloys. The adjacent Carbon Plant will prepare and supply 300,000t/y of baked anodes and recycle 63,000 tonnes of spent anodes.
Further, as commissioning begins, Qatalum employees are beginning to take control of various operations from the contractors. The state of preparedness of the Qatalum team can attribute much of its readiness to extensive training and astute recruitment practices readying them for the start of production. To date, approximately 90 % of the 1,100 target employees are in place with a strong focus on professionalism. Approximately 25 nationalities are represented at Qatalum with a strong emphasis towards Qataris, many of whom hold senior positions within the company.
A group image featuring Qatalum's Qatari senior staff, flanked by Qatalum CEO, Truls Gautesen on the left, Deputy CEO, Hassan Al Rashid on the right and HE Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar in the centre
A group image featuring Qatalum's Qatari senior staff, flanked by Qatalum CEO, Truls Gautesen on the left, Deputy CEO, Hassan Al Rashid on the right and HE Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar in the centre
Qatalum considers 'Quality Qatarisation' as a top priority. By cooperating and coordinating with Qatar Petroleum and educational institutions in Qatar, Qatalum is strongly committed to National development at all levels. Qataris will be working with the most experienced people in the aluminium industry. They will also be offered a chance to further develop through the different initiatives in place, one of which is Qatalum's sponsorship program.
The markets that Qatalum will target are the Mediterranean, Asian and North American, with a growing interest in the GCC. Total annual production will be 585 KT of liquid metal with power generated from the captive power plant of 1,350MW.
Qatalum is staying ahead of global industrial environmental obligations by investing in and implementing Hydro's leading edge, low environmental impact electrolysis technology. From laser guided Pot Tending Machines in the Potrooms to the state of the art Fume Treatment Plant, environmental considerations are critical to the projects sustainability. Additionally, Qatalum can credit itself with an excellent safety record. After completing 63 million man hours its Lost Time Injury is 0.4 per million work hours, far surpassing the challenging target defined by Qatalum when the project began.
o plans. The production of primary aluminium in Qatalum is in the process of starting up. Construction work will continue as testing and training gives way to operations. New cells will come on-line throughout 2010, reaching full operational capacity of 585,000 tonnes when all 704 cells are in operation. A dedicated power plant with an installed capacity of 1350 MW will ensure a stable supply of electricity.
