Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden), the largest multi-commodity firm in the Middle East, has been certified by the international assessor DNV as having produced 614,000 tonnes of ultra-low carbon ammonia, representing the largest quantity accredited in the world to date.

This is a significant step forward in Ma’aden’s plans to grow and transform its business to become an ESG role model in the Kingdom.

This accreditation highlights Ma’aden's commitment to operational excellence and increasing its portfolio of premium products as the company positions itself in key global markets at the same time as driving the decarbonisation of supply chains across the fertiliser industry and supporting sustainable food production.

With a world leading fertiliser business which is now the second largest exporter of phosphate fertilisers, there is significant potential for Ma’aden to consolidate its presence as a leading producer of ultra-low carbon ammonia.

This follows Ma’aden’s ambitious program to ship over 138kt of blue ammonia to major global markets, including the European Union and China, signalling the company’s growing activity in global value chains.

Robert Wilt, CEO, Ma’aden, said: "We are now at the forefront of supplying the world with a lower carbon fuel source that has potential to support the global energy transition. It’s great to see our plans for growth and transformation not only being realised and putting Ma’aden on a sustainable path for the future, but also having the potential to help drive Saudi Arabia’s green ambitions."

Geir Fuglerud, CEO of DNV SCPA, stated: "This accomplishment stands as a testament to Ma'aden's dedication to environmental stewardship and its commitment to a sustainable future. This achievement not only aligns with global sustainable developments goals but also demonstrates Ma'aden's industry leadership position in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Separately, Ma'aden and Hexagon, a global leader in digital reality solutions, have partnered to launch the Middle East’s very first digital mine.

Hexagon’s life-of-mine technology solutions are being successfully deployed at Mansoura Massarah mine, combining sensor, software, and autonomous technologies to enhance efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across the mine’s operations.

Duncan Bradford, Executive Vice-President Base Metals and New Metals, Ma’aden, said: "This partnership strongly aligns with our digitisation strategy, as we work to use the vast amounts of data that we mine to make our mine safer and more efficient. We look forward to working closely with Hexagon to implement and utilise the region’s first digital mine to elevate Mansourah Massara’s operations."

Nick Hare, President of Hexagon’s Mining division, said: "We are excited to help bring to life this important shift toward digitisation of the mine, one that wholistically leverages intelligent data and automation across workflows to minimise the impacts of mining while simultaneously improving safety, productivity and operational efficiency. This is about co-authoring the next chapter of mining in this region with a partner who shares in our drive toward a sustainable future."