Work to start on Maaden solar thermal facilty
19 January 2024
Mining and metals firm Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) and US-based GlassPoint, which specialises in decarbonising industrial process heat, have confirmed plans to build the first stage of project development for Maaden's solar thermal project.
The first stage will have the capacity to supply 9 tonnes of steam an hour to begin decarbonising Maaden's aluminum supply chain, GlassPoint said.
Known as Technology Showcase, the project's first stage 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 per cent 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.
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 per cent.
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.
MEED's October 2023 special report on Saudi Arabia includes:
> COMMENT: Riyadh reshapes its global role
> POLITICS: Saudi Arabia looks both east and west
> SPORT: Saudi Arabia’s football vision goes global
> ECONOMY: Riyadh prioritises stability over headline growth
> BANKS: Saudi banks track more modest growth path
> UPSTREAM: Aramco focuses on upstream capacity building
> DOWNSTREAM: Saudi chemical and downstream projects in motion
> POWER: Riyadh rides power projects surge
> WATER: Saudi water projects momentum holds steady
> GIGAPROJECTS: Gigaproject activity enters full swing
> TRANSPORT: Infrastructure projects support Riyadh’s logistics ambitions
> JEDDAH TOWER: Jeddah developer restarts world’s tallest tower
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Dubai seeks consultants for drainage projects6 February 2026
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Modon tenders Ras El-Hekma construction contracts6 February 2026
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Egypt contractor secures €58m loan for Hungary power plant6 February 2026
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AD Ports signs Jordan Aqaba port PPP deal6 February 2026
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Chinese firm wins Ceer automotive supplier park deal6 February 2026
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The request for qualifications (RFQs) was issued by the municipality’s Sewerage and Recycled Water Projects Department (SRPD).
The bid submission deadline is 26 February.
The first scheme under the package is TF-16-C1, which involves upgrading and rehabilitating the stormwater system east of the Dubai Canal.
The second, TF-15-C2, will deliver stormwater links along Umm Suqeim Road to serve the Al-Barsha and Al-Quoz communities.
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In January, local firm DeTech Contracting won the main contract to construct a stormwater drainage system in Jebel Ali.
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Modon tenders Ras El-Hekma construction contracts
6 February 2026
Abu Dhabi-based developer Modon Holding has tendered several contracts as part of the first phase of development at Ras El-Hekma, a planned new city on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
MEED understands that the tenders were issued in January.
These include:
DP3 assets: covering 146 residential villas, 590 three-bedroom townhouses, 356 four-bedroom townhouses, a mall and other associated works.
Bids due on 23 February.
DP4 assets: DP4 includes 54 villas, a clubhouse and other associated infrastructure.
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DP7 assets: 120 five-bedroom villas, 230 seven-bedroom villas, 284 branded residential units and other infrastructural works.
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Modon has accelerated development works at Ras El-Hekma this year. In January, MEED reported that Modon Holding had awarded a E£15bn ($316m) contract for the construction of a project at Ras El-Hekma.
The contract was awarded to the local firm Orascom Construction.
The scope of the contract covers the construction of residential units, commercial facilities and a 70-key hotel.
In September, MEED reported that Modon Holding had tendered contracts for the infrastructure works for the first phase of the Ras El-Hekma project.
As part of the first phase, Modon plans to develop more than 50 million square metres (sq m), including hotels and a marina.
Ras El-Hekma is on a spur of land on Egypt’s northern Mediterranean coastline, about 240 kilometres west of Alexandria.
Last year, Abu Dhabi-based holding company ADQ appointed Modon Holding as the master developer for the Ras El-Hekma project.
According to an official statement, Modon will act as the master developer for the entire development, which will cover more than 170 million sq m.
Modon Holding will develop the first phase of the project, which will cover 50 million sq m.
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In September 2024, Modon signed several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with local and international firms to join the development. It signed a framework agreement with Orascom Construction to serve as the primary contractor for the project’s first phase.
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Egypt contractor secures €58m loan for Hungary power plant
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Commercial International Bank Egypt (CIB) has provided €58m in credit facilities to local firm Elsewedy Electric for the construction of a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant in Hungary.
Located in Visonta, the plant will be the largest combined-cycle facility built in Hungary in decades and the country’s first power plant capable of using hydrogen.
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It was awarded by MVM Matra Energia, a subsidiary of Hungary’s state-owned power holding company Magya Villamos Muvek (MVM).
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Construction officially began last September, with commercial operations scheduled for 2028.
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AD Ports signs Jordan Aqaba port PPP deal
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Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group has signed an agreement with Jordan’s Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) to manage and operate the Aqaba multipurpose port.
AD Ports will manage and operate the port under a 30-year concession agreement.
Under the agreement, AD Ports and ADC will establish a joint venture to oversee port operations.
AD Ports will hold a 70% stake in the joint venture, with the remaining 30% held by ADC.
AD Ports Group will also invest AED141m ($38.4m) in the joint venture.
The signing ceremony was held at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority headquarters in Aqaba on 5 February.
The agreement was signed by Hussein Safadi, CEO of ADC, and Ahmed Al-Mutawa, regional CEO of AD Ports Group.
Aqaba port handles about 80% of Jordan’s exports and 65% of its imports.
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In 2025, the terminal handled over 5.3 million tonnes of cargo and nearly 85,000 car equivalent units of Ro-Ro imports.
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The Al-Madouneh customs centre covers about 1.3 million square metres (sq m) and was inaugurated in June last year.
The announcement followed AD Ports Group’s signing of a shareholders’ agreement in January 2024 between its digital arm, Maqta Gateway, and Jordan’s Aqaba Development Corporation regarding their existing joint-venture company, Maqta Ayla.
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Chinese firm wins Ceer automotive supplier park deal
6 February 2026
Beijing-headquartered Metallurgical Construction Corporation (MCC) has won a contract to undertake the steel structure works on the Ceer automotive supplier park in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).
The supplier park is located next to Ceer’s electric vehicle (EV) production facility in KAEC.
The automotive supplier park will include production and ancillary facilities for various suppliers and provide the material supply infrastructure for Ceer’s EV plant.
The facilities include:
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Earlier this week, MEED exclusively reported that Ceer had awarded a contract to build the automotive supplier park to Jeddah-based construction firm Modern Building Leaders (MBL).
Netherlands-based engineering firm Arcadis is the project consultant, and Pac Project Advisors is the project management consultant.
Ceer retendered the project in September last year.
The latest contract award is another significant contract win for MCC in Saudi Arabia. In January, MEED reported that MCC had won a contract to undertake the steel structure works on Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium at the Qiddiya City project on the outskirts of Riyadh.
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