Ma’aden and GlassPoint reveal first phase of world’s largest solar thermal plant: Saudi state-owned mining company Ma’aden and American renewables developer GlassPoint have revealed the plans for the first phase of project development for their solar thermal energy (STE) power plant in KSA’s Ras Al Khair, Zawya reports, citing a statement. An agreement was inked in 2022, and the companies expect to break ground on the project this year.

REFRESHER- STE converts radiant solar energy into heat to be repurposed for power generation, according to research published in Science Direct.

The details: The first stage of the project — which aims to decarbonize Ma’aden’s aluminum supply chain — will leverage GlassPoint’s patented Unify storage system, combining direct heat and ternary molten salts to provide 9 tons of continuous base load steam per hour to Ma’aden’s Alumina refinery at Ras al Khair, the statement notes. The initial phase is expected to yield some 12 mn British thermal units of natural gas savings annually, offsetting some 600k tons of carbon emissions per annum, according to the company.

Part of a much wider venture: Once fully operational, the project – named Ma’aden Solar 1 — will span a seven km2 area, six of which will be allocated to solar developments, yielding overall a 1.5 GWth capacity. The project is set to mitigate 10% of Ma’aden’s annual emissions – the equivalent of taking nearly 130k cars off the road.

More decarbonization moves from Ma’aden: The company recently signed an agreement with the Saudi Investment Recycling Company to expand its aluminum repurposing capacity in a bid to meet its environmental and decarbonization targets, the company said.

Not GlassPoint’s first MENA foray: Back in October, GlassPoint signed an agreement with KSA’s Investment Ministry to build a solar manufacturing facility in the Eastern Province aimed at producing 5k tons of solar steam daily and offsetting 200k tons of carbon emissions annually.

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