The contract calls for the supply and installation of three 125-MW gas turbines, two 140-MW steam turbines, four waste heat recovery boilers and associated facilities. Full commercial operations at the new plant are scheduled to begin by mid-2005.

Alstom's closest competitor for the power island contract was a team of South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industrieswith Germany Siemens. The other bidder was the US' Bechtel, which is acting as the EPC management contractor for the potline expansion.

Bids are under evaluation for the other main power contract on the expansion programme, involving the supply and installation of the transmission and distribution network to serve the new power island. The bidders for the estimated $100 million package are Alstom Transmission & Distribution, Dubai-based Emirates Trading Agency (ETA), Austria's VA Techand Europe's ABB. The scope of works covers the installation of a 6.6-kV/220-kV network to link the plant to Alba's main power island. The consultant on the power works is the UK's Mott MacDonald(MEED 21:3:03).

The $1,700 million Alba expansion programme involves the addition of 307,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of smelting capacity, taking total capacity at the site up to 830,000 t/y. Project completion is set for February 2005.