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• 
  Glasspoint to start Maaden solar thermal showcase

  27 November 2024

  US-based GlassPoint, in partnership with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (Misa), said it is moving towards building a technology showcase, which is the first step towards the construction of the planned $1.5bn industrial solar thermal project catering to mining and metals firm Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden).

  GlassPoint has also partnered with Cox as its technical and delivery partner to build the GlassPoint Maaden Technology Showcase (GMTS) and "several additional solar thermal projects globally".

  GlassPoint said: "The GMTS is the first stage in building the world’s largest industrial solar thermal project, Maaden I, a $1.5B project which will combine direct solar to heat technology with advanced thermal storage to accelerate the decarbonising of Maaden's aluminum supply chain."

  However, the company has yet to disclose the actual timeline for the construction of the main solar thermal plant.

  To support these projects for Maaden and to export high-technology renewable energy components to the region, Glasspoint and Misa plan to construct a state-of-the-art solar manufacturing facility in the kingdom. 

  GlassPoint specialises in decarbonising industrial process heat. MEED previously reported that the project's first stage will have the capacity to supply 9 tonnes of steam an hour to begin decarbonising Maaden's aluminum supply chain.

  It will combine the direct generation of heat and storage to provide a continuous base load of steam to Maaden's alumina refinery in Ras Al-Khair.

  The initial capacity will be about 1% of the larger project, which is expected to save Maaden's refinery more than 12 metric million British thermal units (MMBtus) of energy and reduce carbon emissions by 600,000 tonnes annually.

  GlassPoint signed a memorandum of understanding with Maaden to develop Maaden Solar 1, potentially the world’s largest solar process heat plant, in June 2022.

  When complete, Maaden Solar 1 will be a 1,500 megawatt-thermal (MWth) facility.

  The technology showcase "is an important first step to kick off project development and begin building on location", said GlassPoint founder and CEO Rod MacGregor at the time.

  It is understood that low-carbon aluminum increasingly commands a premium with industrial companies that are seeking to meet sustainability requirements from their customers.

  "New policies such as the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism will tax high-carbon imports and make low-carbon aluminum, enabled by solar thermal solutions, even more appealing," GlassPoint said.

  The technology showcase will include several new advancements from GlassPoint that are expected to reduce the cost of its solutions by more than 30%.

  Enhancements include GlassPoint's Unify storage system, which uses direct heat and ternary molten salts to provide around-the-clock steam, as well as lighter materials that will boost solar efficiency and reduce weight, materials, carbon intensity, shading and the levelised cost of energy.

  Solar factory

  In October last year, GlassPoint announced a partnership with the Ministry of Investment Saudi Arabia (Misa) to build a solar manufacturing facility in the Eastern Province of the kingdom.

  At full capacity, the planned factory will produce enough renewable energy technology annually to generate 5,000 tonnes of solar steam a day, which will be sufficient to offset 4 MMBtus of gas and reduce carbon emissions by 200,000 tonnes each year.

  Technology manufactured at the facility will be used for projects in the metals and mining, building materials and other industrial sectors. 

  GlassPoint’s enclosed trough concentrated solar power technology uses large, curved mirrors to focus sunlight on a boiler tube containing water. The concentrated energy boils the water to produce high-quality steam, which is fed into existing industrial operations.

  A self-cleaning structure encloses and protects the solar collectors from wind, sand and dust. The structure protects the operational environment, enabling lightweight mirrors and components.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13011091/main.jpg

  Jennifer Aguinaldo
• 
  Acciona signs Qatar 110MIGD desalination contract

  27 November 2024

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  Spain’s Acciona has won the contract to build a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant as part of Qatar’s Facility E independent water and power project (IWPP) in Ras Abu Fontas.

  The integrated facility’s water desalination package will have a capacity of 110 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD), while the power generation plant will have the capacity to generate 2,415MW of electricity.

  According to a source close to the project, the contract Acciona won is part of the overall engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package of the Facility E IWPP, which South Korea’s Samsung C&T will implement.

  Julio De La Rosa Jurado, Acciona Agua Middle East director, confirmed the award in a social media post on 26 November, the day after Qatar state utility General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) awarded the contract to develop and operate the Facility E IWPP project to the sole bidder led by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation on 25 November.

  Sumitomo leads a consortium that comprises fellow Japanese utility developer Shikoku Electric, Seoul-headquartered Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND) and Korea Southern Power Company (Kospo).

  Samsung C&T has confirmed that the project’s EPC package is valued at $2.8bn. The total project cost is roughly $3.7bn.

  Japan’s Mitsubishi Power will supply the gas turbines for the power plant, as MEED reported.

  The four developer consortium members, along with Qatar Electricity & Water Company (QEWC) and QatarEnergy (QE), will establish a project company.

  According to Sumitomo, the equity distribution between the project company shareholders is:

  • Sumitomo Corporation: 17%
  • Shikoku Electric: 11%
  • Kospo: 6%,
  • KIND: 6%
  • QEWC: 55%
  • QE: 5%

  Project background

  The contract to develop the Facility E IWPP was first tendered in 2019. The three teams that submitted bids for the contract in August 2020 were:   

  • Engie (France) / Mitsui (Japan) / Yonden (Shikoku Electric, Japan)
  • Sumitomo / Kansai Electric (Japan)
  • Marubeni / Kyushu Electric (Japan)

  The original plan was for the Facility E IWPP to have a power generation capacity of about 2,300MW and a desalination component of 100MIGD once fully operational.

  Kahramaa revised the power plant’s design capacity to 2,600MW and sought alternative prices from bidders. 

  Kahramaa eventually cancelled and reissued the tender in September 2023. 

  MEED understands that the new target commercial operation date for the Facility E IWPP project has been moved to 2029. 

  The state utility’s transaction advisory team includes UK-headquartered PwC and Clyde & Co as financial and legal advisers, respectively, led by Belgrade-headquartered Energoprojekt as technical adviser.

  Facility E is Qatar’s fifth IWPP scheme. Completed and operational IWPPs include three projects in Ras Laffan – known as Facilities A, B and C – and Facility D in Umm Al-Houl.

  Awarded in 2015 and completed in 2018, Facility D was developed by a Japanese consortium of Mitsubishi Corporation and Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). South Korea’s Samsung C&T was the EPC contractor.

  Related read: Facility E award marks key milestone

  Photo credit: Acciona

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13010478/main1316.jpg

  Jennifer Aguinaldo
• 
  Japanese firm to supply Facility E gas turbines

  27 November 2024

  

   

  Japan’s Mitsubishi Power will supply the gas turbines powering Qatar’s recently awarded Facility E independent water and power producer (IWPP) project located in Ras Abu Fontas, according to an industry source.

  Qatar state utility General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) awarded a contract to develop and operate the Facility E IWPP project to the sole bidder led by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation on 25 November.

  The Facility E IWPP scheme will have a power generation capacity of 2,415MW and a water desalination capacity of 110 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD).

  MEED reported in July that Sumitomo had submitted a proposal for the contract. It leads a consortium that comprises fellow Japanese utility developer Shikoku Electric, Seoul-headquartered Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND) and Korea Southern Power Company (Kospo).

  The developer consortium’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner is South Korea’s Samsung C&T, which confirmed that the project’s EPC package is valued at $2.8bn.

  The total project cost is roughly $3.7bn.

  The contract to develop the Facility E IWPP was first tendered in 2019. The three teams that submitted bids for the contract in August 2020 were:   

  • Engie (France) / Mitsui (Japan) / Yonden (Shikoku Electric, Japan)
  • Sumitomo / Kansai Electric (Japan)
  • Marubeni / Kyushu Electric (Japan)

  The original plan was for the Facility E IWPP to have a power generation capacity of about 2,300MW and a desalination component of 100MIGD once fully operational.

  Kahramaa revised the power plant’s design capacity to 2,600MW and sought alternative prices from bidders. 

  Kahramaa eventually cancelled and reissued the tender in September 2023. 

  MEED understands that the new target commercial operation date for the Facility E IWPP project has been moved to 2029. 

  The state utility’s transaction advisory team includes UK-headquartered PwC and Clyde & Co as financial and legal advisers, respectively, led by Belgrade-headquartered Energoprojekt as technical adviser.

  Facility E is Qatar’s fifth IWPP scheme. Completed and operational IWPPs include three projects in Ras Laffan – known as Facilities A, B and C – and Facility D in Umm Al-Houl.

  Awarded in 2015 and completed in 2018, Facility D was developed by a Japanese consortium of Mitsubishi Corporation and Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). South Korea’s Samsung C&T was the EPC contractor.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13010401/main.jpg

  Jennifer Aguinaldo
• 
  Developers attend Riyadh-Qassim project meeting

  27 November 2024

  

   

  Local and international developers and contractors attended a developers conference organised recently by Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) for the Riyadh-Qassim independent water transmission pipeline (IWTP) project in Riyadh.

  According to an industry source, companies that sent representatives to the meeting include the local firms AlBawani Group, Alfanar Company, Lamar Holding, Vision Invest, Nesma Company, Mutlaq Al-Ghowairi Contracting Company and Buhur Investment and several China-headquartered firms.

  The Riyadh-Qassim IWTP scheme will extend 859 kilometres (km), supplying both regions with potable water. It will have a transmission capacity of up to 685,000 cubic metres and feature 11 receiving gates.

  SWPC expects to receive bids for the contract to develop the project by February next year.

  The scheme is the third IWTP contract to be tendered by SWPC since 2022.   

  The first two are the 150km Rayis-Rabigh IWTP, which is under construction, and the 603km Jubail-Buraydah IWTP, which is under bid evaluation.

  Like the first two IWTPs, the Riyadh-Qassim IWTP project will be developed using a 35-year build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) contracting model. It is expected to reach commercial operations in the third quarter of 2029.

  SWPC’s transaction advisory team comprises US/India’s Synergy Consulting as financial adviser and the local Amer Al-Amr and Germany’s Fichtner Consulting as legal and technical advisers, respectively.

  SWPC’s obligations under the water transfer agreement will be guaranteed by a credit support agreement entered into by the Finance Ministry on behalf of the Saudi government.

  The project is part of the kingdom’s National Water Strategy 2030, which aims to reduce the water demand-supply gap and ensure desalinated water accounts for 90% of national urban supply to reduce reliance on non-renewable ground sources.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13005684/main.jpg

  Jennifer Aguinaldo
• 
  Exxon yet to decide on Upper Zakum participation

  27 November 2024

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  The US-based international oil company (IOC) ExxonMobil has yet to reach a final agreement with its partners on its level of participation in the next phase of the Upper Zakum field expansion project in Abu Dhabi, according to Liam Mallon, the president of the company’s upstream business.

  Mallon said that financial terms have been a key issue in determining ExxonMobil’s future participation in the project.

  Speaking at a conference in London, he said: “The challenge was getting an appropriate reward for that significant investment … we’ve been working hard on that, and we will participate in some form in the extension of Upper Zakum.

  “We are pleased to do that. Exactly when and how that might get talked about is yet to be determined – but we will participate.”

  Asked when Exxon’s level of participation in the expansion project would be finalised, Mallon said: “I will leave that for others.”

  Commenting on Exxon’s relationship with the UAE, he said it was an example of “multi-decade partnerships where we bring our technologies and our capabilities – drilling the world’s longest wells week after week”.

  The Upper Zakum field holds the record for the world’s longest oil well.

  This record currently stands at 53,500 feet, according to Mallon.

  Work under way

  Earlier this week, MEED revealed that Adnoc Offshore had begun work on the next expansion phase of the Upper Zakum field development in Abu Dhabi, which aims to increase the asset’s oil production potential to 1.5 million barrels a day (b/d).

  The offshore oil and gas production business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Offshore) recently awarded a contract for pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-feed) and feed services on the project, known as UZ 1.5MMBD, to France-headquartered contractor Technip Energies.

  A kick-off meeting between Adnoc Offshore and Technip Energies took place on 21 November.

  Located 84 kilometres offshore in Abu Dhabi, Upper Zakum is the world’s second-largest offshore oil field and fourth-largest oil field.

  The UZ 1.5MMBD project is the latest in a series of crude output expansion projects that Adnoc Offshore has undertaken at the Upper Zakum field development.

  Upper Zakum expansion

  The first phase of the programme to raise the Upper Zakum offshore field development’s oil production capacity to 1.2 million b/d was launched in 2019. The initial goal was to increase the field’s output potential to 1 million b/d by 2024, which was later increased to 1.2 million b/d, with the project execution timeline eventually extended.

  In April, MEED reported that Adnoc Offshore had awarded the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the UZ 1.2MMBD EPC-1 project to UAE-based Target Engineering Construction Company. The value of the EPC contract won by Target is estimated to be $825m.

  The project’s main scope involves the EPC of several surface facilities and plants at the Upper Zakum offshore development’s four main artificial islands: Al-Ghallan, Umm Al-Anbar, Ettouk and Asseifiya – also known as Central Island, West Island, North Island and South Island, respectively.

  Spanish contractor Tecnicas Reunidas won the contract for the feed works on the UZ 1.2MMBD EPC-1 project in 2019. UK-headquartered Wood Group was appointed as the project management consultant for the EPC phase.

  Earlier in November, MEED reported that Adnoc Offshore had also selected Target Engineering Construction Company for the second phase of the Upper Zakum 1.2 million b/d project (UZ 1.2MMBD EPC-2). The value of the contract is estimated to be about $500m, according to sources.

  The scope of work on the UZ 1.2MMBD EPC-2 project covers the EPC of several structures on Assefiya Island.

  Adnoc Offshore performed the feed work on the UZ 1.2MMBD EPC-2 project in-house.

  Upper Zakum oil production

  Adnoc Offshore has committed to a total capital expenditure budget of approximately $30bn, along with its operating partners in the Upper Zakum hydrocarbons concession, Japan Oil Development Company (Jodco) and US-based ExxonMobil.

  The strategic objective is to first raise the asset’s oil output from 640,000 b/d to 750,000 b/d through the UZ 750 project, then to 1.2 million b/d through the two phases of the ongoing UZ 1.2 MMBD project, and eventually to 1.5 million b/d.

  Zakum Development Company (Zadco), which later merged into Adnoc Offshore, awarded EPC contracts for the UZ 750 project in 2012 and early 2013.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13006130/main.jpg

  Wil Crisp