The collective output of primary aluminium by the five GCC producers - Emirates Global Aluminium in UAE, Alba in Bahrain, Ma’aden Aluminium in Saudi Arabia, Qatalum in Qatar and Sohar Aluminium in Oman – stood at 5.27mn tonnes in 2015. This was seven% higher than in 2014. GCC aluminium production constitutes 10% of total global output and is considered one of the key economic drivers for the Gulf region, a press release said on Sunday. Nearly 40% of the total production is utilised by the downstream aluminium industries in the Gulf, while the remaining 60% is exported to different parts of the world. GCC remains one of the leading regions for aluminium production with higher environmental standards compared to the rest of the world. Sohar Aluminium’s total production in 2015 stood at 377,186 tonnes. Sohar Aluminium is jointly owned by Oman Oil Co, Abu Dhabi National Energy Co and Rio Tinto. (Muscat Daily)