Aluminum in the Kingdom

Aluminum in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the metals the Kingdom aims to advance in production, fostering a sustainable local industry to diversify its non-oil economy. This involves setting up factories dedicated to crafting premier aluminum products destined for both domestic and international markets.

Ras al-Khair Industrial City, near al-Jubayl Industrial City in the Eastern Province, includes the largest integrated aluminum production complex in the world, at a cost of USD10.8 billion.

In 2009, the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) entered into a partnership with the third largest aluminum producer in the world, the American company 'Alcoa'. The aim is to build the most integrated aluminum projects in the world in the Kingdom. The project includes a bauxite mine, refinery, smelter, and rolling mills, with a cost exceeding SAR40 billion (USD10.8 billion). On December 12, 2012, 'Ma'aden' announced that its subsidiary, 'Ma'aden Aluminum', had successfully begun producing aluminum for the first time in the Kingdom from its smelter in the aluminum complex in Ras al-Khair City for Mining Industries in the Eastern Province.

The aluminum project of The Saudi Mining Company (Ma'aden) encompasses two sites: one situated in Ras al-Khair Industrial City, and the other in al-Baaethah, located north of Qassim Province. These two sites are notable for their integration into a unified mining network. Al-Baaethah area comprises a mine along with fracturing and processing facilities, where raw materials are extracted from bauxite reserves. Annually, the mine yields four million t of dry bauxite, which is subsequently transported to Ras al-Khair Port by railway.

The city of Ras al-Khair houses the world's largest integrated aluminum production complex. The complex aims to localize major industries and includes a smelter that produces 740,000 t of aluminum annually. Ma'aden is the first company in the Middle East to own an alumina refinery capable of producing 1.8 million t of processed alumina annually. It also has a rolling mill for producing aluminum sheets used in the automotive and manufacturing sectors, with a production capacity of 460,000 t. Additionally, it includes a dedicated aluminum recycling unit with a capacity of 120,000 t.