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The Fjarðaál aluminum smelter on the eastern coast of Iceland, completed in 2007, posed the sea-level version of many of the same challenges. The project site, on the eastern coast of the country, is at the inner edge of a large, glacier-fed fjord that empties into the Norwegian Sea. Like most of Iceland, the area is sparsely populated—the nearest town, Reyðarfjörður, is home to about 650 residents.
Given its remote location—and the fact that most of the material required couldn’t be found in Iceland—Fjarðaál became a showcase for Bechtel’s global reach. Ships brought in steel and pots from China, concrete from Iceland and Norway, and heavy equipment from Europe, the Middle East, China, India, and North America.
At remote projects, logistics represent just one of the big challenges. Climate and natural conditions also can cause headaches—in some cases literally, as at Antamina, where the high altitude and low level of oxygen made it a good idea to stock up on aspirin.
Then there are temperature extremes: On Sakhalin Island, the mercury drops to 40-below in the winter, and people may wake up in the morning to find three meters of snow on the ground. As a result, snow-clearing was a major activity on Bechtel’s gas development project. As many as 30 people cleared snow 24 hours a day with excavators, trucks, and mini bobcats.
