$500M Aluminum Venture in Riyadh Marks Middle East's Shift to High-Value Manufacturing

Recently, an aluminum industry collaboration with a total investment of $500 million was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi aluminum giant ALUPCO, in partnership with companies such as China Hong Kong's Asia Aluminum Group (AAG), jointly developed the largest aluminum deep-processing base in the Middle East. This project signifies that the Middle East's aluminum industry, represented by Saudi Arabia, has completely moved away from the low-end model of "only exporting primary aluminum" and officially entered the "post-smelting era" of high value-added manufacturing.

It is reported that this aluminum deep-processing base, covering an area of 150 hectares, will precisely target three high-growth sectors, reshaping the regional aluminum semis supply landscape with robust capacity:

1. Aluminum extrusion: Annual capacity is expected to gradually exceed 200,000 mt, aiming to become the largest aluminum extrusion production site in the Middle East. Products will cover construction, industrial, and PV fields, filling the local high-end extrusion supply gap.

2. Solar PV frames: With an annual output of 30 million PV frames, it can meet approximately 25 GW of new PV installation demand, directly aligning with the booming renewable energy market in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

3. Modular building systems: Capable of producing 30,000 sets of aluminum residential modules annually.