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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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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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