The contract is worth $93m and includes the design and construction of storage silos. Each will have a diameter of 40 metres and a volume of 300,000 cubic metres. Work will start next month and is expected to be completed in October.

Qatalum, a joint venture of Norwegian aluminium producer Hydro and Qatar Petroleum, is developing a 585,000 tonne a year (t/y) aluminium smelter at Mesaieed.

A second phase of expansion will raise output to 1.2 million t/y. Production is expected to start in 2010. Earlier this month, Sweden's Atlas Copco won the contract to supply the plant's compressed air system (10:02:08).

Elsewhere in the region, Astaldi has also recently secured work in Algeria. Last October the Algerian national railway investment company, Anesrif awarded Astaldi the provisional contract to build a 120 kilometre railway line from Saida to Moulay-Slissen. Astaldi bid $514m for the work (MEED 05:10:08).