THE Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) recently achieved a significant new certification for the ammonia plant it operates within its affiliate Ma'aden Phosphate Company (MPC). ISO 50001 is a new standard for energy management systems developed by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 50001 enables MPC's ammonia plant to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve energy performance. The MPC ammonia plant is the largest single line ammonia plant in the world. "We are continuously assessing ways to improve our management of energy," said Khaled Al Rowais, chairman of the Board of MPC, "And we are committed to promoting best practices in energy management because we know that reducing energy costs improves our competitiveness and lowering energy consumption helps us reduce our environmental impact." "Energy is a critical component of our business because it's used throughout our entire value chain," added Hassan Al-Ali, president of MPC. "In addition to the ammonia plant, MPC also achieved ISO 50001 certification for its power and utilities facilities in 2012. We will capitalize on these achievements and work to apply this new global standard across all of our other facilities." MPC has already received certification for ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 140001 (Environmental Management) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety). Also, Ma'aden Aluminum, a joint venture of Ma'aden and Alcoa, announced in mid-2016 that its smelter & cast house were awarded the ISO 9001:2015 which is the latest version of the accredited standard & specifications certificate of quality management published by the ISO.
