“Alba” signs a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Epsilon Carbon to secure the long-term supply of liquid bitumen

Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C. signed (Alba), the world’s largest single-site aluminum smelter, has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Epsilon Carbon Pvt Ltd, a leading integrated carbon producer based in India, to explore long-term supply of liquid bitumen.

The official signing of the agreement during the Gulf Gateway Forum 2025 in the Kingdom of Bahrain was an important step towards enhancing supply security and operational efficiency at Alba, and supporting Epsilon Carbon’s plans to establish a bitumen smelting facility in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Memorandum of Understanding represents the cornerstone of constructive negotiations and discussions between the two sides. It also paves the way for establishing a comprehensive, long-term supply partnership, and sets the necessary procedures and steps regarding trial shipments, quality control, and reaching an agreement on commercial terms.

Alba’s CEO, Ali Al Baqali, commented on this cooperation, saying: “Our cooperation with Epsilon Carbon represents an important milestone in Alba’s journey towards enhancing the reliability of the supply chain and maintaining the highest quality standards.

This partnership not only provides one of the basic raw materials for our operations, but also supports industrial sector development initiatives in the Kingdom. We are confident that this partnership will achieve sustainable value for both parties.”

For his part, Epsilon Carbon General Manager, Vikram Handa, said: “Our partnership with Alba is an important step towards achieving sustainable industrial growth.

As we prepare to reach our coal tar distillation production capacity of 750,000 tons by 2027, and invest in projects worth up to $20 million in the Kingdom of Bahrain, we seek to strengthen our regional partnerships and enhance flexibility in the supply chain.

This step will contribute not only to strengthening industrial cooperation between India and the Kingdom of Bahrain, but also to reducing the carbon footprint, thus achieving our vision of supporting a more sustainable and efficient aluminum industry.”