Power teams from GAC smelters convene to share expertise, strengthen collaboration, and advance innovation and safety.

Qatalum, through its Power Group, proudly hosted the Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC) Power Seminar 2025, held from 27 to 28 May in Doha and Mesaieed. The two-day seminar brought together power operations teams from across the Gulf region—including Ma’aden, Sohar Aluminium, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA), and Qatalum—and served as a vital platform for technical exchange, strategic collaboration, and operational insight.

The Qatalum team was led by Chief Power Officer Jose Fores, who also serves as Chairman of the GAC Power Committee, and included Manuel Lombardero, Engineering & Maintenance Manager; Stephen Dalton, High Voltage and Rectifier Manager; along with other core members of the Power Group. Their leadership and participation throughout the seminar reflected Qatalum’s strong commitment to cross-industry learning and operational excellence.

The first day featured a full schedule of technical presentations and dialogue, beginning with a keynote address from Jose Fores. Sessions covered a broad range of technical topics, including harmonic analytics in EGA’s electrical system, a case study on generator transformer failure at Sohar Aluminium, and lessons learned from steam cycle contamination and recovery efforts at EGA. Further presentations included Ma’aden’s insights into PREMAG IO board malfunctions and ALBA’s case studies on performance monitoring and current measurement system upgrades.

The day concluded with active participation from key technology suppliers. ABB presented updates on its latest control system technologies, while GE delivered a session on its state-of-the-art carbon capture solutions and responded to specific technical queries raised by the attending smelter representatives.

On the second day, the seminar moved to Qatalum’s Power Plant in Mesaieed. Qatalum CEO Khalid Laram welcomed the participants and encouraged open, meaningful dialogue around operational experience and challenges. Following an HSE induction, delegates took part in guided technical tours of the power plant, rectifier bay, and busbar systems, offering a hands-on perspective of Qatalum’s infrastructure and practices.

Technical sessions continued with a presentation from Ma’aden on DC isolator protective cover modification and a detailed overview by Sohar Aluminium on HRSG assessment and opportunities for life extension. The seminar concluded with a networking lunch, offering participants an opportunity to reflect on shared insights and strengthen professional ties.

By hosting the GAC Power Seminar 2025, Qatalum reaffirmed its role as a regional leader in advancing collaboration, innovation, and reliability in power operations. The event highlighted the collective strength and shared ambition of GAC member smelters to deliver sustainable, high-performance energy solutions for the aluminium industry.