:: $2bn Oman Deal Won by Bechtel

US company Bechtel has won an engineering, procurement and construction management contract for a $2 billion aluminium smelter project in Oman, local media reported yesterday.

The Times of Oman said Bechtel had been "chosen as the preferred bidder for the job". The daily said the contract would cover the construction of a potline with a capacity of about 330,000 tonnes per annum in the first phase of the project.

The Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) in February signed a shareholders agreement with Oman Oil Co (OOC) and Canadian Alcan to develop the plant to be based adjacent to the existing Sohar Industrial Area.

Construction on the plant will start soon after financial close, expected in the second half of this year, ADWEA said.

The plant will be operational by 2008. With completion of the second phase, annual capacity will rise to 650,000 tonnes.

The Sohar Aluminium Co was created in September to own and operate the new smelter. ADWEA and the state-owned OOC each own 40 per cent and Alcan the balance.

A 1,400-megawatt power plant will also be built as part of the project.