A Memorandum of Understanding has been struck between Saudi Arabian Mining Company (MA’ADEN) and industrial solar steam specialist GlassPoint to create the world’s largest solar process heat facility.
The 1,500MW solar steam project, which will be built at MA’ADEN’s Alumina refinery, will assist the company meet its sustainability goals by decreasing carbon emissions by more than 600,000 tonnes per year. This represents a reduction of more than 50% in MA’ADEN’s Alumina refinery’s carbon footprint and 4% of MA’ADEN’s overall carbon footprint.
This represents a reduction of more than 50% in MA’ADEN’s Alumina refinery’s carbon footprint
The MOU was signed by Riyadh Al Nassar, Senior Vice President of MA’ADEN’s aluminium business, and Rod MacGregor, CEO and founder of GlassPoint, at MA’ADEN in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the presence of MA’ADEN CEO Robert Wilt and GlassPoint CCO Jacob Drejer.
The new facility will be called MA’ADEN Solar 1 and will use solar-powered steam to refine bauxite ore into alumina
Wilt explained: “As the third pillar of the Saudi economy, we aspire to be a role model in ESG in the Kingdom. This significant development will dramatically reduce our carbon footprint and bring us closer to our mandate of carbon neutrality by 2050. As the world moves towards green aluminium, MA’ADEN intends to help lead the way in this transition.”
The new facility, according to Al Nassar, will be called MA’ADEN Solar 1 and will use solar-powered steam to refine bauxite ore into alumina. “Alumina is a critical feedstock to aluminium, which is one of the world’s most crucial metals for many global industries going into a future that is focused on environment and sustainability,” he said.
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