Saudi mining company MA'ADEN has signed a memorandum of understanding with Glasspoint, a leader in industrial solar steam, to facilitate research into the development of the world's largest solar process heating plant at its alumina refinery in Ras Al Khair. Glasspoint said that once completed, the 1,500-megawatt solar steam plant at the MA'ADEN alumina refinery will help the Saudi mining company meet its sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions by more than 60,000 tons per year. This means that the refinery's carbon footprint has been reduced by more than 50%, accounting for 4% of MA'ADEN's total carbon footprint.

The MoU was signed at MA'ADEN headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by Riyadh Al Nassar, Senior Vice President of MA'ADEN's Aluminium Business, and Rod Mac Gregor, CEO and Founder of Glass Point, witnessed by MA'ADEN CEO Robert Wilt and Jacob Drejer, CCO of Glass Point, said in a statement.

Robert Wilt, CEO of MA'ADEN, said: "As the third pillar of the Saudi economy, we aspire to be a role model for Saudi ESG. This major development will significantly reduce our carbon footprint and bring us closer to where we are in 2050. A carbon neutral mission. As the world moves towards green aluminium, MA'ADEN intends to help lead that transition.”

Under the terms of the agreement, MA'ADEN and Glass Point will jointly develop a more sustainable way of producing aluminium, a key metal for many global industries and energy transitions. The MoU also represents Glass Point's re-establishment as a leader in solar process thermal energy, the statement added.

Riyadh Al Nassar, Senior Vice President, SBU, MA'ADEN Aluminium, added: "The proposed new facility is a solar thermal power plant called MA'ADENSolar1, which will be located in Rasal Khair, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and will use the sun to generate steam. The steam will be used for Refining bauxite into alumina. Alumina is a key raw material for aluminium, one of the most important metals in many global industries in the world, with a future focus on the environment and sustainability.” With this MoU, Glass Point is entering a new phase of growth to help decarbonize a range of industries seeking to reduce their carbon footprint,

As a global energy producer, Saudi Arabia is committed to advancing the fight against climate change. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched the Saudi Green Initiative to help the country become an international leader in sustainable development. In 2021, SGI unveiled the first batch of more than 60 initiatives with a total investment of $186 billion to accelerate the green economy in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

In recent years, GCC countries have been seeking to diversify their energy mix through clean energy. In late 2018, Glass Point signed a memorandum of understanding with Oman Occidental for a 2GW solar project, while in April 2021, the L&T business unit won an EPC contract for a 1.5GW solar PV plant in Riyadh province. Earlier this year, in May 2022, EWEC invited expressions of interest for a 1,500 MW solar PV project in Abu Dhabi.Editor/XingWentao