Much has happened over the past 30 years on the industrial scene in Bahrain – and nowhere is this more evident than at Aluminium Bahrain (Alba). The company was the country’s first non-oil industry venture, and its success in diversifying the economy helped to establish a blueprint for others to follow.
Operating one of the largest smelters in the world, Alba is also known to be one of the most efficient and environmentally-friendly smelters: it has gained prestigious awards including the United Nations Millennium Business Award for Environmental Achievement. The company has also achieved certification to the environmental management system standard ISO 14001.
Albas ability to respond to environmental challenges will in the long term be decisive for the companys position in the marketplace, says Jeremy Nottingham, deputy CEO of Alba. He leaves no doubt that environment is more than just a sector interest. The environment together with safety is also considered a basic driver for creating an effective organisation. Our image and credibility rely on top-class environmental performance.
When Albas smelter was commissioned in 1971, environmental issues were not a top priority for industry. However, with the emergence of state-of-the art environmental technology, management at Alba committed itself in the mid-1980s to becoming one of the worlds cleanest smelters.
Internal audits vital
By 1997, Alba had invested more than US$300m on environmental projects and had completed the upgrading and retrofitting of its older reduction lines with clean technology. As a competitive company, Alba offers cost-efficient and sustainable solutions, but makes a selling point of its pro-environment position.
Nottingham believes that successful environmental performance depends first and foremost on leadership and commitment. This can only be achieved through a structured approach. We must establish goals and plans, set standards for how to operate our plant, take account of any environmental impact related to our products, develop peoples skills and knowledge, and establish a follow-up system for monitoring our progress and making corrective actions.
Alba has established internal environmental audits as an integral part of its required management practices. Explains Nottingham, We are not merely checking compliance with regulations. We put more emphasis on the adequacy and efficiency of our management system, with continuous improvements being a principal feature.
DNV accreditation
Commenting on the ISO 14001 certification by Det Norske Veritas, Albas technical manager Jonathan Prebble says, We became one of the first large companies in Bahrain to gain certification. By achieving this, Alba has further added to its status as a world-leading smelter in much the same way that the achievement of ISO 9002 in 1994 greatly enhanced the reputation of our products.
ISO 14001 is a system for controlling the environmental impacts of a companys activities, products and services, and it supports the prevention of pollution and continual improvement of environmental performance for sustainable development.
The accreditation demonstrates the companys ability to meet the requirements of ISO 14001 for all its operations, including the power stations, marine terminal, reduction lines, carbon department and casthouses.
Albas commitment to environmental protection over the past 15 years enabled the company to achieve the standard in a relatively short time scale given the size and diversity of its operations. Throughout the implementation, employee training, resource conservation, pollution prevention and recycling have been high priorities and regular audits are still conducted to ensure that the process continues.
Nottingham comments, We consider our internal audits to be a management tool. An audit is not proof of a clean bill of health, but provides guidance for management on their strengths and weaknesses and how to progress. All elements of good environmental management must become part of every managers job. We need to work actively to increase the organisations awareness of the environment. We need to infect their minds with the environmental bug.
Significant improvements
By implementing its strict environmental protection programme, Alba has seen significant improvements in air quality, conserving energy and natural resources, and marine life.
The most significant emissions from any aluminium smelter into the atmosphere can be the release of fluorides and dust particulates. To combat this, Alba has installed seven fume-treatment plants which treat the fumes produced in all four of the reduction lines as well as recover the flouride gases from kilns 1 and 3. In addition there are 75 dust collectors around the plant and, from these, more than 90% of materials recovered are recycled.
Improving environmental practice involves reducing not only emissions but also energy consumption. Using combined-cycle technology where the waste heat from the gas turbines is used to generate more power through steam turbines ensures optimum efficiency. By using this technology, Alba is using 30% less gas than if it operated only open-cycle turbines.
Albas achievements have been exceptional and it is fitting that the company recently announced plans to increase its capacity from 500,000 to 750,000 tons/year by 2004. This major project will entail building a new reduction line as well as a new carbon department, casthouse and power station.
Nottingham concludes, Our expansion plans clearly exploit the positive links between economic growth, efficiency, and environmental protection.