Saudi’s Ma’aden signed an MoU with US-based AI robotic mining company Offworld to explore zero-carbon mining in the kingdom, according to a press release published on Friday. The agreement will allow Ma’aden to use robotic mining swarms that eliminate mining’s carbon footprint and the need for human miners.

How does it work? Offworld’s smart robot swarms aim to innovate mining, processing, manufacturing, and construction with five types of robots covering a range of functions including surveying, excavating, collecting, hauling, and bulldozing, according to their website.

Why this is important: The World Bank has warned that minimizing the climate footprint of mineral extraction — which runs the risk of exacerbating water scarcity and significantly increasing emissions — is key as demand for energy-transition minerals increases.

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Tunisia issues tenders for 16 renewables projects worth 1.4 GW: Tunisia is inviting bids for solar and wind energy projects in the country over the next two years, according to a government statement. Eight solar power plants — each with a generation capacity of 100 MW — and eight wind energy farms with a generation capacity of 75 MW each are on offer. The first round of bidding for the solar plants closes on 15 June, while the deadline to submit bids for the wind projects is 14 September.

KSA ramping carbon capture research: Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has signed a cooperation agreement with Korean CarbonCo for joint research across various carbon capture projects across the kingdom, Trade Arabia reports. The two partners will work together to adopt carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology to absorb carbon from power plants run by SWCC and use it in the seawater desalination post-treatment procedure. No financial details were disclosed.

Masdar-led consortium ramps up SAF production certifications: A consortium of UAE’s renewables firm Masdar, Siemens Energy, Marubeni, and TotalEnergies announced last week that it is working to obtain licenses to certify the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from methanol gas, according to a company statement. The consortium has worked with regulators to complete technology supplier assessments, feasibility studies, and designs since 2021, the statement notes

And others are helping: The Masdar-led consortium will work with the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Lufthansa, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and Emirates Airways will launch a pilot project to produce SAF and green aviation fuel, the statement notes.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

• US-based EV manufacturer Canoo signed an exclusive distribution agreement with KSA’s GCC Olayan for the sale, service maintenance, and repair of Canoo EVs in Saudi Arabia. Both companies are also eyeing the construction of a local assembly plant in the kingdom. (Statement)
• UAE state-owned aluminum manufacturer Emirates Global Aluminium provided over 200k tons of waste feedstock to various industries across the country in 2022. (Statement)
• Egypt’s state-owned Misr Chemical Industries has tapped gas company Gulf Cryo and engineering firm Ecces for a hydrogen exploitation project under a build, own, operate contract. (EGX statement)
• Emerge — a JV between Masdar and France’s EDF — signed an agreement with UAE bottler and distributor Coca-Cola Al Ahlia for a 1.8 MW solar plant in Al Ain. The turnkey project — operated and maintained by Emerge for 25 years — will include ground-mounted, rooftop and car park installations. (Statement)