Mr. Bader M. Al Saleem is the manager of Renewable Energy Project at Ma'aden Corporate. He graduated with a B. Sc. in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia in 1991, and obtained a postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Project Management from the University of Glamorgan, UK, in the year 2000. He has 30 years’ experience in managing projects in the power, petrochemicals and mining sectors. Ove the years he amassed many certification, including Energy Manager (CEM), by The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and by Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC). He has also obtained a certification as Solar PV Designer and Installer from the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and Solar Electric Design and Installation by The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), to name few.

Abstract

Decarbonizing Mineral industry in KSA

The Saudi Arabian Mining Company, Ma’aden, is a diversified mining business with operations in the extraction of phosphate, industrial minerals, aluminum, gold and base metals. Mining operations are organized in Strategic Business Units (“SBU’s”) which are profit centers with full accountability for profit and loss.

The mining sites of the SBU’s are often located in remote areas within Saudi Arabia and must therefore rely on fusel fuel generation for electricity supply. However, with the planned reductions of subsidies of fuel and the strategy of the government to reduce fuel domestic consumption towards a more sustainable energy generation and reducing the CO₂ emission, alternative means for electricity supply must be investigated.

With the high irradiation in Saudi Arabia and the recent price decline of PV power plants, solar and wind energy in combination with electrical storage are a viable option to complement the existing or new fusel fuel generation to reduce fuel consumption, lower energy costs and reduce the risk of possible fuel price increases for Ma’aden. Furthermore, to implement the best technical solution offering the most value for money, besides deriving an optimal technical configuration, the procurement strategy of these hybrid plants shall be optimized to achieve the lowest electricity costs while warranting a maximum technical standard.

In parallel to implement energy conservation program and increasing energy efficiency for existing plant.