The construction of Sharjah Waste-to-Energy plant, the first project of Emirates Waste to Energy, a joint venture between BEEAH Energy, BEEAH Group’s renewable energy business, and Masdar, one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, has been completed.
Once tested, commissioned and operational, the plant will enable Sharjah to become the Middle East’s first zero-waste city, turning unrecyclable waste into clean energy and increasing the current landfill diversion rate from 76 percent to 100 percent. It will also help reduce waste sent to landfills across the UAE while contributing to the nation’s clean energy resources.
At full operational capacity, the plant will help divert up to 300,000 tons of unrecyclable waste away from landfills each year while producing 30 megawatts (MW) of low-carbon electricity, enough to power 28,000 homes in Sharjah.
Khaled Al Huraimel Group CEO BEEAH
“Completion of construction is an important milestone for our Emirates Waste to Energy venture as we continue to pioneer clean energy innovations in the UAE. We look forward to a successful testing and commissioning phase followed by achieving full operations, which will make Sharjah the Middle East’s first zero-waste city. This will also be a landmark moment as we work towards a zero-waste, clean-energy future for the nation, the region and beyond.”
The 80,000-square-meter plant was built by CNIM, a French industrial contractor, and follows EU Best Available Techniques to meet the world’s strongest environmental regulations. Unrecyclable garbage is fed into a boiler at the plant, which produces high-pressure steam that drives electric turbine generators.
Toxins and pollutants are filtered from the flue gas produced during the process. Bottom ash is collected to recover metals and ash material for use in construction and roadwork applications, while fly ash is collected and treated separately.
Mr. Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar CEO, said that “Masdar is proud to be partnering with BEEAH, leveraging our more than a decade and a half of experience in the clean energy sector to help pioneer the UAE’s first waste-to-energy power plant. With the project’s construction phase now complete, we look forward to harnessing our knowledge in the growing waste-to-energy space to help tackle the global climate challenge through sustainable waste management enabled by clean energy solutions.”
