Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden Group), is Saudi Arabia’s national mining champion and one of the fastest-growing mining companies in the world. Ma’aden has teamed with GlassPoint to develop Ma’aden Solar 1, the world’s largest solar process heat plant that will help Ma’aden achieve its sustainability goals. The new facility will be located in Ras al Khair, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and will harness the power of the sun to produce steam. GlassPoint will build, own and operate the facility, which will generate steam for use in refining bauxite ore into alumina, a key ingredient in aluminum production. Ma’aden’s raw materials are in turn used in a range of markets, including the automotive industry.

This agreement is GlassPoint’s first in metals and reflects the company’s expanded focus on decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries, including the production of materials essential to the energy transition. That includes mining and metals, chemicals, construction materials, desalination and more.

Ma’aden Solar I will be 1,500 MWth, when complete, making it one of the largest solar projects of any kind. The facility will reduce Ma’aden’s carbon emissions by nearly 10%, the equivalent of taking nearly 130,000 cars off the road, and play a meaningful role in supporting the Saudi Green Initiative which will take the kingdom to net-zero emissions by 2060.