The Middle East Industry

Petrochemicals is the largest industry in Bahrain after aluminium, with ammonia, methanol and urea all produced locally. While steps are being taken to increase petrochemicals production in the Kingdom, one challenge that remains is ensuring the supply of natural gas at a price that allows Bahrain’s goods to remain competitive in the regional market...

Industrial policy in the Kingdom has always been forward-thinking. Even before Bahrain’s independence in 1971, the state decided to move its economy away from a heavy reliance on oil, which was first discovered in the 1930s, and use its hydrocarbons wealth to develop an industrial base. The aluminium smelter and its downstream associated businesses...

Heavy industries, which include aluminium and steel production as well as mining and quarrying, contributed 12.8% of GDP in 2011, according to the Economic Development Board, the state investment agency. Bahrain’s reputation as an aluminium exporter has already been globally established, but authorities are now turning their attention toward...

Space is fast running out in the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP), with up to 75% now allocated. The park, one of the most successful of the Kingdom’s specially developed industrial zones, has been designed by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) to attract local, regional and multinational firms seeking a global base of...

As the country’s first heavy industry to be developed, aluminium remains a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s industrial base. The GCC industrial landscape has changed dramatically since 1968, when the Kingdom established Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and began developing the aluminium sector. At the time, the region was emerging as a major contender for...