Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) is mulling plans to raise its output by up to 45 per cent to about 1.2 million tonnes, a company spokesman said.

Khalid Bomtaia said the plan, which envisages a new production line worth $1.7 billion, was provisional and needed to be approved by the company’s board.
Alba has previously said a feasibility plan for a new sixth production line to be built within five years had been approved.Output at Alba currently stands at 830,000 tonnes.  The firm has previously said it was examining foreign expansion plans as part of a business strategy to be decided soon.
In September 2005, Alba launched its fifth production line, raising its output capacity by 307,000 tonnes per year. Alba is 77 per cent owned by the Bahraini government, 20 per cent by Saudi Arabia and three per cent by the German group Breton Investments.