The Saudi Arabian Mining Company “Maaden” and GlassPoint have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the world’s largest solar steam plant at Ma’aden’s alumina refinery.
The company indicated that when completed, the solar steam facility will help Maaden achieve its sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions by 600,000 tons per year. This reduction represents more than 50% of the carbon footprint of Maaden’s alumina refinery and 4% of the total carbon footprint of Maaden.
Ma’aden’s CEO said, “We are proud to be among the industry leaders in the Kingdom, as Ma’aden is the third pillar of the national economy and an example to follow in all aspects of sustainability, governance, and the environment, as this initiative works to contribute to reducing emissions from the industrial sector and reducing fuel consumption.” fossil fuels by initiating a study to build the largest solar steam plant in the world that will replace conventional steam.”
“By launching this project, we are not only taking a major step towards our commitment to carbon neutrality but also contributing to the realization of Vision 2030 and the sustainable development goals,” he added.
For his part, the senior vice president of Maaden’s strategic aluminum unit said, “The proposed new facility, a solar thermal power plant known as Ma’aden Solar 1, will be established in Ras Al-Khair and will use solar energy to produce steam, which is a key factor in the production of aluminum that is It is one of the most important minerals in the world for many industries moving towards a future-focused on the environment and sustainability.”
In turn, the CEO and founder of GlassPoint said, “Maaden is leading efforts to reduce industrial carbon emissions on a large scale by replacing fossil fuels with solar energy for heat generation. With this agreement, GlassPoint is entering a new phase of growth to help decarbonize a range of industries seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Under this partnership, Maaden and GlassPoint will jointly develop a more sustainable way to produce aluminum, a metal important to many global industries and energy transformation.