BAHRAIN - The Major Projects.

There are about 20 major projects in Bahrain, where the construction market has picked up since late 2003, which involve at total of more than $12,800 million in investment. These will help the government focus more on the non-oil economy in the coming years.

For contractors, however, the construction market in Bahrain is tight in view of keen competition. Many local contracting companies prefer to concentrate on more lucrative markets such as neighbouring Qatar, where projects related to expanding gas-based industries and LNG/GTL ventures abound.

The biggest project is a $1,700 million expansion at Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the industrial mainstain of the non-oil economy in Bahrain. This involves construction of a 5th potline which will raise the capacity of Alba's smelter from 518,000 t/y to 827,000 t/y and will make it the biggest smelter in the world outside eastern Europe. With Bechtel being the main (EPCM) contractor, the project has generated more than 30 sub-contracts - mostly for locals - and will sublet another 20 jobs before it is completed by mid-2005. A 650 MW power plant for this is being built by Alstom under a $500m contract, with the first gas turbine expected to be on stream in late 2004. A further phase to add a sixth potline will bring the smelter's capacity to more than 1.2 million t/y later in this decade and will cost about $1,300 million.

Alba in mid-September 2003 signed a MoU to sell a 26% stake to Alcoa of the US out of the government's 77% equity. Alcoa, a world leader of alumina production, has been the primary supplier of alumina to Alba since the smelter was commissioned in 1971. Under the deal, Alcoa's unit AWAC will sign a long-term contract to supply the smelter with alumina. When Alba's sixth potline has been on stream, its total alumina requirements will have risen to 2.2 million t/y.

The biggest project contracted in late 2003 was a $430 million EPCM job for JGC of Japan to install a 40,000 b/d low sulphur diesel production (LSDP) unit at the 250,000 b/d Sitra refinery of Bahrain Petroleum Co. (Bapco). This is part of a $685m project to produce diesel with a maximum of 50 parts per million sulphur, to open up higher-margin export markets. This and other related project will in 2005 complete a $1,008 million upgrade programme at the refinery.

Bapco is awaiting a feasibility study for a $1,500 million petrochemicals plant at the Sitra complex to crack naphtha into ethylene and produce polyethylene and downstream derivatives. This and the Sitra refinery will enable Bapco to export premium products, having begun exporting unleaded gasoline in October 2002. (Bahrain National Oil Co. was in early 2000 merged into Bapco).

The first phase of a $1,300 million Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH), worth about $200m, was tendered last November and should be awarded in the first half of 2004. BFH will house Bahrain's rapidly growing financial services industry. The Khalifa Bin Salman container port and industrial zone, a $1,000m project, is progressing. Its port buildings and infrastructure are to be tendered in 2004. Projects in the tourism sector include the $1,200m Durrat Al-Bahrain resort, the $1,000m Amwaj Islands resorts, the $700m Al-Jazair beach resort, the $600m Al-Areen Desert Spa & Resort (a key project in health tourism), the $500m Equestrian Centre, the $200m Snow Centre (indoor winter resort), the $200m international racing circuit (a Formula One-standard racetrack, with the annual event to trigger a big influx of tourists and the first one scheduled for April 4), etc.