Ma'aden Aluminium Rolling Mill (Ma'aden-Alcoa Complex)

The joint venture between Ma'aden and Alcoa Inc., the largest aluminum producer in the United States, represents a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's industrial strategy and the anchor of the Ras Al-Khair industrial hub. Announced in 2010, this monumental project was designed to create one of the world's largest, lowest-cost, and most efficient fully integrated aluminum complexes. The venture was far more ambitious than a standalone smelter or mill; it encompassed the entire aluminum value chain, from raw material extraction to the production of high-value finished goods. The integrated complex, located at Ras Al-Zour (now Ras Al-Khair) on the Kingdom's eastern coast, includes four primary components: - A Bauxite Mine: Located at Al Ba'itha in the Qassim province, with an initial capacity of 4 million metric tons per year to provide the primary raw material. - An Alumina Refinery: The first of its kind in the Middle East, with an initial capacity to process bauxite into 1.8 million metric tons per year of alumina. - An Aluminum Smelter: A world-scale smelter designed to produce an initial 740,000 metric tons per year of primary aluminum metal. - An Aluminum Rolling Mill: A state-of-the-art facility with an initial capacity of 380,000 metric tons per year, capable of producing high-value flat-rolled products, including food-grade can sheet for the beverage industry and automotive sheet.