2001 project-of-year award for Mozal aluminium project

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IBG - SA Instrumentation & Control Buyers' Guide

February 2002 News

The $1,2 billion construction project for the Mozal (Mozambique Aluminium) smelter has been given the 2001 project-of-the-year award by the International Project Management Institute. The award, made in Memphis, Tennessee effectively classifies Mozal as the world's best project in 2001.

The project was brought in six months ahead of the 31-month schedule and $100 million under budget, setting, what is believed to be, a world schedule record in the construction of a greenfield aluminium smelter. The job was undertaken by a leading SA and a Canadian construction company in the face of a war-ravaged infrastructure and some of the worst weather and flood conditions in living memory.

The large and complex process control system is entirely based on Wonderware's InTouch while all the historian functions are handled by Wonderware's InSQL realtime database solution.

The Mozal project consumed and implemented works with 25 000 tons of structural steel, 235 000 cubic metres of concrete, 16 km of stormwater culverts, 25 km of roads, 38 km of piping, 800 km of cabling and 208 000 m² of aluminium cladding over an area the size of 340 soccer fields. A new port at Motola linked to the smelter by a new road and bridge was also completed within the project. 50 000 tons of equipment was transported in a major logistics exercise with 80 trucks per day clearing the border between South Africa and Mozambique and 100 000 tons of sea freight coming in through various ports.

An intensive $3,4 million training programme was undertaken for the labour force, which peaked at 9 000 with 73% local Mozambicans. The injury frequency rate attained a value of 1,7 - which beats international benchmarks and compares very favourably with the South African national average of 10. The South African and Canadian companies involved with this joint venture have been awarded the $8 billion Mozal II extension, for which Wonderware's InTouch and InSQL will also be used. This extension will see the smelter's capacity double from 250 000 to 500 000 tons per year.

Mike le Plastrier

Futuristix

(011) 723 9900

[email protected]

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2001 project-of-year award for Mozal aluminium project

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