(Yicai) Oct. 27 -- China Aluminum International Engineering, the engineering technology company under China Aluminum Group, better known as Chalieco, has secured a USD833 million engineering, procurement, and construction contract for a large alumina project in Vietnam.

Chalieco has received a letter of award from the project owner, Binh Phuoc Ore Mining and Beneficiation, to undertake engineering design, material and equipment supply, construction, installation, commissioning, and staff training for an alumina plant in the Binh Phuoc province, the Chinese firm announced yesterday.

The plant is expected to have an annual alumina capacity of 2.4 million tons and a construction period of 27 months, according to Chalieco.

This will be the third alumina plant in Vietnam for which Chalieco serves as EPC contractor. The firm previously worked on two alumina facilities for Vinacomin, a state-owned coal and minerals producer. The Lam Dong plant, with an annual capacity of 600,000 tons, came online in 2011, while the Nhan Co plant, with a 650,000-ton annual output, was commissioned in July 2017.

Vietnam has an estimated bauxite mineral resource, the primary raw material used to produce alumina, of around 5.8 billion tons, ranking second worldwide after Guinea.

Chalieco’s shares [SHA: 601068] were trading down 0.2 percent at CNY4.11 (61 US cents) as of 2.10 p.m. in Shanghai today. Its Hong Kong-listed stock [HKG: 2068] rose 0.3 percent to HKD1.57 (20 US cents).

Editor: Futura Costaglione