Project Hajar is one of the world’s first operations to durably store captured atmospheric CO₂ underground. (Image source: 44.01)

Project Hajar, a partnership between 44.01 and Aircapture, has been named the top performer in the Air category of the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, receiving a US$1mn XFACTOR award.

The initiative, based in Fujairah, UAE, combines Aircapture’s Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology with 44.01’s mineralisation process to permanently lock away atmospheric CO₂—preventing it from ever re-entering the atmosphere.

The four-year global competition, backed by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation, sought scalable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies that could operate at the gigatonne level. Out of more than 1,300 teams from nearly 80 countries, 20 finalists were announced in May 2024, with the winners unveiled today in New York.

Local support

Project Hajar is one of the world’s first operations to durably store captured atmospheric CO₂ underground. XPRIZE judges praised it as a high-quality, scalable solution with strong potential to support global climate goals.

The project was supported by ADNOC and the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation.

44.01 has already demonstrated its mineralisation process in Oman and the UAE and is now focused on international expansion.

Talal Hasan, founder and CEO of 44.01, said “The success of Project Hajar is testament to the leading role our region can play in decarbonising our atmosphere, providing new jobs and opportunities as we navigate the energy transition. Our climate needs decarbonisation solutions that can be deployed at scale, and we are working hard to scale up our technology in the Middle East and export it around the world.”

Matt Atwood, founder and CEO of Aircapture, said “This recognition from XPRIZE underscores the strength of our vision for deploying carbon removal infrastructure that is both rapidly scalable and economically viable. While many are focused on future capabilities, our modular system is already operating in the field—delivering measurable results today. We’re honoured that the XPRIZE judges acknowledged the commercial and technical merits of our approach, which is designed for near-term impact and long-term scalability.”

“At this critical turning point for our planet, the technologies developed by these winning teams represent hope with a broad range of approaches that are suitable for different geographies and can help the world reach net zero and ultimately reverse climate change,” said Anousheh Ansari, chief executive officer, XPRIZE. “We cannot stabilise our climate without sustainably and safely extracting carbon from our atmosphere and oceans at large scales. I’m incredibly proud of the ways this XPRIZE competition catalyzed and fostered the innovation and collaboration necessary to build this critical new industry that was missing prior to our competition.”

STR and SubC Imaging partner to enhance subsea inspection. (Image source: STR)

STR, a specialist in advanced marine sensor technology, has entered into an exclusive global technology and service partnership with SubC Imaging, a Canadian original equipment manufacturer known for its subsea cameras, digital video recorders, and data services.

The collaboration comes in response to rising demand across the offshore energy and marine sectors for high-quality optical solutions and real-time inspection data to monitor and maintain critical subsea infrastructure.

Key industries include oil and gas, offshore wind, marine science, defence, and subsea power and communications.

Through STR’s global network, the partnership will deliver an expanded portfolio that combines STR’s in-house camera systems, cathodic protection (CP) tools, flooded member detection (FMD) equipment, and inspection services with SubC Imaging’s advanced camera systems, digital video recording technologies, lights, lasers, and live data streaming solutions.

Improving data quality

The combined offering aims to give clients access to cutting-edge inspection tools and services for deployment on both manned and unmanned vessels, delivering greater operational flexibility, enhanced visual clarity, and improved data acquisition in subsea environments.

Steve Steele, STR CEO, said, “This is a significant partnership for us as part of our commitment is to provide clients with the very best sensor, inspection and data solutions through technology and service quality. This collaboration enables us to direct opportunities toward one another, where appropriate, and focus on the best optical and inspection solutions for our clients. We look forward to building a strong working relationship with Chad and his world-class team.”

Chad Collett, SubC Imaging CEO, said, “This partnership reflects SubC Imaging’s commitment to making advanced optical and data solutions more accessible to the global offshore market. STR’s rental expertise and strong international presence align perfectly with our goal of delivering flexible, high-quality technology that helps clients improve efficiency and data quality in the field.”

Around the world, the global technology, software and engineering powerhouse has worked with mining leaders to implement scalable predictive maintenance solutions that save millions in downtime costs and enhance worker safety – particularly when it comes to temperature and vibration monitoring.

Newmont’s Minera Yanacocha, Latin America’s largest gold mine in Peru, required cost-effective, constant temperature monitoring of its SAG mill motor, potentially avoiding shutdowns that could cost US$1.4mn per day.

Emerson’s Smart Wireless solutions now measure the motor’s temperature at four different points, while its DeltaV™ control system integrates alarm systems that notify operators of temperature extremes. This combination also generates trend data that enables Newmont to provide the motor manufacturer with information they can use for improvements.

A Mid-Atlantic phosphate mine turned to Emerson for vibration monitoring and predictive maintenance solutions for its vital heavy-duty draglines. These assets previously relied on manual monitoring of the equipment miles away, causing schedule and safety-related delays.

Emerson’s online monitoring capabilities enabled the team to access and analyse data from a central location, saving US$5.8mn a year through faster data collection. Improved reliability saved another US$1.3mn in cost avoidance during a downtime event.

A copper mining company in Peru turned to Emerson to help maintain operational continuity of 14 critical conveyor belts that transport ore to crushing areas and the copper processing plant with varying power requirements.


Emerson’s integrated vibration monitoring system now provides real-time data on key conveyor components—including all pulley bearings—ensuring high reliability and control while enhancing safety by allowing technicians to work from secure control rooms.

The path to prescriptive maintenance

Achieving prescriptive maintenance starts with installing more intelligent assets, embedded with sensors and automation to boost visibility into processes. These intelligent assets produce valuable data that, over time, reveals trends engineers can use to predict potential issues and identify causes before failure occurs.

In Saudi Arabia, where both greenfield and brownfield mining projects are accelerating, early adoption of intelligent asset strategies can yield exponential returns.

Greenfield projects often incorporate these capabilities from the outset, simplifying the road to prescriptive maintenance. Meanwhile, existing mining sites can adopt a phased approach, prioritising sensor installation and automation in large, critical assets based on ROI.

This automation ecosystem must prioritise interoperability to be effective.

Proprietary tech “black boxes” keep equipment data siloed, while open-standard system protocols enable all asset operations and monitoring to be accessible to the entire organisation.

Such accessibility in turn allows remote monitoring and operations centers to provide all stakeholders access to necessary data. This streamlined data-sharing enables engineering, process, reliability, and metallurgical experts to make decisions that are best for the entire process, rather than just one piece of equipment.

Automation also improves asset reliability via machine learning platforms and advanced analytics that can merge process and reliability data to build algorithms tailored specifically to a given process, enabling maintenance decisions based on real conditions.

Data from these solutions can flow upward, integrating into other higher-level systems to deliver greater operational efficiencies across the entire enterprise.

Saudi Arabia’s mining future

In Saudi Arabia, this modernisation spans three key phases: exploration and surveying, refining and smelting, and the manufacturing of semi-finished and finished products.

Government initiatives, including the Mining Investment Law and exploration incentives totaling SAR682.5 million (US$182mn), aim to streamline licensing and promote environmental sustainability.

At the same time, the Saudi Industrial Development Fund offers financial support to help operators implement advanced technologies early in a mine’s lifecycle.

These integrated efforts enhance the business environment for mining development and open the door for widespread deployment of prescriptive maintenance solutions.

By extending the best practices and proven global technologies, miners in the Middle East can reduce unplanned downtime, improve worker safety, and elevate operational efficiency - all while contributing to cleaner and more sustainable extraction processes.

This is the secod part of the op-ed written by Abdulrhman Alsanie, Director Strategic Alliances – Saudi Arabia, Emerson. Click here to read the first part.

As clean energy initiatives pick up pace worldwide, mining companies are under mounting pressure to meet surging demand for essential minerals.

With maintenance costs consuming 30 to 50% of operational expenses, today’s asset-intensive mining operations have a prime opportunity to optimise processes and flip their approach to upkeep - ultimately enabling more strategic asset management.

Mining operations that continue to rely on outdated reactive maintenance - performing sporadic checks and repairing equipment only after a failure - face soaring costs, avoidable downtime, and safety hazards.

In contrast, top-performing mining companies are driving efficiency gains and lowering risks by pivoting to predictive and prescriptive maintenance strategies.

Using modern technologies, predictive and prescriptive maintenance enable operators to monitor assets and accurately predict – and fix – potential problems before they occur.

This approach supports not only asset reliability, but also reduces risk to personnel safety associated with machine failure. More reliable equipment also means less energy consumption and reduced emissions.

Shifts and opportunities across MENA

Across the MENA region, the mining sector is evolving rapidly as operators adopt cutting-edge technologies to bolster efficiency and reduce downtime.

Even more so for nations striving to diversify their economies through mining and mineral processing

In parallel with accelerated local investments in exploration, production, and advanced manufacturing, Saudi Arabia is extending its strategic reach globally.

Through Manara Minerals — a joint venture between Ma’aden and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) — the Kingdom is investing in international mining stakeholders to secure critical minerals and strengthen supply chain resilience, reinforcing its position as a global energy powerhouse.

Mining Momentum in the Kingdom

Saudi Arabia’s mining sector is undergoing a major transformation, driven by an estimated SAR9.4 trillion (US$2.5 tr) in mineral wealth and US$410bn in new investments.

Recent data from the National Industrial and Mining Information Center shows the number of operating and under-construction factories rose by 10% in 2023 to 11,672, representing combined investments of SAR1.539 trillion (US$410.bn).

As mining operations scale, reliability strategies are shifting from reactive to proactive, driven by technologies like condition monitoring, predictive analytics, and remote diagnostics.

These tools help operators detect early signs of equipment failure, reduce unplanned downtime, and improve safety.

When combined with interoperable systems that unify data across assets, they enable centralised decision-making and pave the way for smarter, more resilient maintenance practices across both new and existing sites.

To support this transformation, leading mining operations are turning to condition-based and prescriptive maintenance models.

While some Saudi projects are embedding these capabilities from the nascent stages, others are upgrading legacy systems through strategic sensor deployment and real-time monitoring.

Emerson has been partnering with mining operators across the world to digitise its condition monitoring systems across two critical sites.

This initiative focused on critical equipment at two of the company's mining sites, addressing long-standing issues related to inefficient manual data collection and frequent maintenance.

At one mine, the lack of monitoring and the reliance on intermittent manual data collection led to suboptimal productivity and safety concerns.

Similarly, another mine faced challenges with inclined conveyors, experiencing considerable downtime and extended maintenance schedules.

To address these issues, Emerson implemented the AMS 6500, an online asset health monitoring system featuring adaptive tracking based on varying load and speed conditions.

This technology provided real-time, high-quality data that was integrated into the company’s existing AMS Machinery Manager software, ensuring a seamless digital transformation.

This article was written by By Abdulrhman Alsanie, Director Strategic Alliances – Saudi Arabia, Emerson. Click here to read the rest of his op-ed.