RIYADH (ALETIHAD)
Maaden Bauxite and Alumina Company (MBAC), a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), has signed a 30-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Emerge to supply renewable energy to the Al Baitha Bauxite Mine.
Under the agreement, Emerge – a joint venture between Masdar and EDF power solutions – will develop an off-grid solar power project that integrates a ground-mounted 8 MWp photovoltaic array with a 30 MWh battery storage system. The facility is expected to generate around 17,300 MWh of electricity annually, enabling the mine to run almost entirely on renewable energy. It will also help avoid about 13,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, equivalent to removing more than 3,000 cars from the road.
Ali Al-Qahtani, Executive Vice-President of Maaden’s aluminium business, said the partnership “supports our ambitions to drive renewable energy across our operations, as well as reinforcing our commitment to advancing sustainable solutions that benefit both our businesses and the communities we serve.”
Abdulaziz Alobaidli, Chairman of Emerge and Chief Operating Officer at Masdar, said the deal shows how Emerge “offers businesses a seamless, cost-effective pathway to transform to renewable energy,” while Omar Aldaweesh, CEO KSA of EDF Group and EDF power solutions, added the project “marks a bold step in decarbonising the Kingdom’s mining sector” and demonstrates that “industrial ambition and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.”
Emerge will deliver the project as a turnkey solution, handling financing, design, procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance.
Maaden, the Middle East’s largest multi-commodity mining and metals company, posted revenues of SAR 32.5 billion ($8.7 billion) in 2024 and currently operates 17 mines and sites with exports to 55 countries. Emerge, founded in 2021, develops renewable energy and hybrid solutions across the Middle East, while EDF power solutions operates 31 GW of capacity globally. Masdar, jointly owned by TAQA, ADNOC and Mubadala, has a global renewable energy portfolio exceeding 51 GW and is targeting 100 GW by 2030.