Next phase of development underway for world’s largest solar thermal project – MA’ADEN I

GlassPoint, a company specializing in solar thermal technology to reduce carbon emissions, has unveiled the next phase of mining decarbonization for Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden with the world’s largest solar thermal plant.

The $1.5 billion MA’ADEN I project is expected to generate approximately 14,000 tons of solar steam per day, slashing carbon emissions by 600,000 tons a year.

The Ma’aden Technology Showcase (GMTS), in partnership with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), is the first stage in building the project, which will combine direct solar to heat technology with advanced thermal storage to accelerate the decarbonizing of Ma’aden’s aluminum supply chain. 

First announced in 2022, the project aims to achieve a more than a 50% reduction in the carbon footprint of the firm’s alumina refinery and a 4% drop in Ma’aden’s overall carbon footprint.

Glasspoint also partnered with Cox Energy as its construction and delivery partner to build the GMTS, as well as several additional solar thermal projects globally.

To support these projects for Ma’aden and to export high technology renewable energy components to the region, Glasspoint and MISA will be constructing a state-of-the-art solar manufacturing facility in the Kingdom.

“This milestone advances us toward building a cutting-edge concentrated solar power-to-steam manufacturing facility in the Kingdom, which will build our leadership across the region while strengthening our economy and creating an independent supply chain,” Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Investment, said in a news release.

“Our Technology Showcase with GlassPoint is an important step toward large-scale decarbonization and is strongly in support of meeting the Kingdom’s net zero target by 2060,” Ma’aden CEO Bob Wilt added.  “We are constantly looking at how we can drive operations and integrate technology that delivers more efficiently and more sustainably.”

The GMTS will feature several advanced technology developments that enable industrial facilities to decarbonize heat by up to 70% while delivering cost parity with legacy gas-powered steam systems.