Bahrain’s Alba to buy Europe’s largest aluminium smelter

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has agreed to acquire Aluminium Dunkerque, the European Union’s largest primary aluminium smelter, from New York-based American Industrial Partners.

The smelter is owned by a subsidiary of AIP Fund VII, the Bahrain-listed company said in a statement.

No financial details were provided, but Alba said the acquisition will be paid in cash, fully underwritten by a syndicate of relationship banks. 

Located in Loon-Plage, northern France, Aluminium Dunkerque produces around 300,000 tonnes of aluminium annually.

The proposed acquisition will combine Alba and Aluminium Dunkerque into a geographically diversified industrial group with operations spanning Europe and the GCC.

Alba chairman Khalid Al Rumaihi said the transaction is a major step in its plan to build a globally connected, low-carbon aluminium platform with operational strongholds in the GCC and Europe.

Alba will offer a shareholding position to Bpifrance, a French public investment bank, to build up a long-term partnership for sustainable development of Aluminium Dunkerque.

Discussions have been initiated with Bpifrance and will be pursued in the coming days, the statement said without giving any details.

Last month Alba said net profit surged by almost a fifth to BD218.7 million ($582 million) in 2025 from BD184.5 million in 2024.

Manama-listed Alba’s shares fell 2.6 percent on Monday.

Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company owns 69.38 percent of Alba, while Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) owns 20.62 percent.

In January 2025, Alba and Maaden ended talks about merging the Bahraini company with Ma’aden’s aluminium division, although Alba’s CEO said last August that such discussions may restart. 

Aluminium prices are up 36 percent since late March last year.

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