In 2006, Sohar Aluminium awarded Fives Solios with (5) contracts covering the supply of a 36 tph Green Anode Plant, (2) Gas Treatment Centers, (1) Fume Treatment Center, (4) Tilting Holding Furnaces with the associated water treatment for the casthouse, as well as the Liquid Pitch Marine Terminal.
This new smelter located in Oman will produce 360,000 tpy of aluminium. Sohar Aluminium is a State company belonging to Oman Oil, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) and Rio Tinto Alcan for the technology.
Fives Solios has progressively and successfully started up all their installations since the beginning of 2008:
- At the beginning of February, the first shipment of pitch was unloaded in the first 5,000 ton tank at the Marine Facilities designed & installed by Fives Solios.
- In mid-March, the first raw anodes were produced at the Fives Solios plant. This is the first application implementing the two most recent Fives Solios technologies: Rhodax® for dry material preparation and IMC (Intensive Mixing Cascade) for paste mixing and cooling.
- At the end of March, the Anode Baking furnaces were commissioned, the fumes being treated by Fives Solios’ installations.
- On June 11th 2008, as per the project schedule, the first metal was produced. Starting on June 5th, gases produced from reduction were processed through Fives Solios’ state-of-the art GTCs. Both centers are equipped with TGT-RI filters, which can considerably reduce fluorine emissions thus helping to preserve the environment.
In the Casthouse, metal is processed in (4) Fives Solios holding furnaces with 80 tons of capacity each. The cooling water plant system is designed by Fives Solios to process cooling water required for the (2) ingot casting machines and auxiliary equipment. Features include the possibility of future capacity increases at the plant without operational interference
During the execution of these contracts, from erection to start-up, Fives Solios focused on the health & safety of their workers, as well as respecting the environment by implementing their latest technologies. In August 2007, Sohar Aluminium awarded Fives Solios with a certificate for 2 million working hours without any LTIs.
The construction project lasted 2 years, with 1,500 people working for Fives Solios in the peak period, supported by 40 expatriates.
As one of the major suppliers for this smelter, Fives Solios contributed to the economic development of the area by employing many local contractors for the shop fabrication, construction of civil engineering, electricity & instrumentation equipment.