Altech Chemicals is on the verge of breaking into the lucrative high purity alumina market after setting a furious pace for the construction of its high purity alumina plant in Malaysia that will draw almost pure kaolin clay feedstock from WA. The company says that construction is well ahead of schedule and that the electrical substation structure is due for completion by May 2020.
The superstructure of the electrical substation is now nearing completion with architectural detailing and mechanical fit out expected to commence shortly. After completion and a handover inspection, the substation will be turned over for inspection ahead of the switchgear installation which will take place in parallel with the balance of HPA plant construction.
The company said that the substation design is in accordance with local requirements and all required approvals have been obtained now for the structural, mechanical and electrical elements of the facility. So far everything is going to plan for Altech, who is looking to ensure that electricity supply will be available well in advance of the plant commissioning.
The giant German engineering firm, SMS Group is the EPC contractor with a USD$280 million fixed-price turn-key contract. Management said that the EPC construction team and its subcontractors have now completed a total of 117,425 lost time injury free hours.
With a total of 241 employees and contractors now inducted onto the construction site, Altech is not mucking around and is now hurtling headlong towards production.
Stage 2 engineering activities are continuing to progress, with SMS now having placed orders with approximately 80% of the third party engineering long lead item vendors. The German contractor is also continuing to work on completion of equipment arrangement drawings, piping and electrical layouts using the latest design information provided by these equipment vendors.
This multi-generational project that boasts a kaolin feedstock from Meckering in Western Australia that will potentially last for some 230 years, looks like catapulting Altech into the somewhat limited ranks of producers of high purity alumina.
With uses in lithium-ion batteries and also LED lighting, high purity alumina looks to be the right product for the right time and Altech will no doubt be in the box seat in this burgeoning market in the years to come.
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By Matt Birney
