BEEAH, a leading sustainability and digitalization organization, has revealed comprehensive plans for the Middle East’s first commercial-scale, waste-to-hydrogen plant to be located in Al Sajaa, Sharjah, on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) and international technology partners, Chinook Hydrogen from the UK and Air Water Inc. from Japan, the waste-to-hydrogen plant is expected to unlock a revolutionary new avenue for the production and application of green hydrogen for emissions-free energy production and hydrogen-fueled mobility.
The waste-to-hydrogen plant will leverage Chinook Hydrogen’s patented RODECS gasification and pyrolysis solution and Air Water Inc.’s cutting-edge hydrogen refinement technology, producing fuel-cell grade hydrogen from various organic-based, including Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). The resulting green hydrogen can be readily used in energy and industrial applications, or in hydrogen vehicles.
The first phase is expected to be commissioned in Q2 of 2027, producing 7 tons of green hydrogen daily, amounting to an annual production capacity of 2,560 tons. In the process, the plant will also divert thousands of tons of waste every year, while preventing around 30,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to green hydrogen, the plant will also produce useful by-products such as biogenic carbon dioxide, which can support the production of alternative fuels, and nitrogen, a valuable gas for an array of industrial applications. The breakthrough technology was first demonstrated in 2023 at a demonstration plant in Nottingham, United Kingdom, and then presented at COP28 UAE at the national pavilion in the presence of Eng Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI.
Sharif Al Olama Under-Secretary for Energy & Petroleum Affairs UAE MoEI
“Energy diversification and hydrogen leadership are important priorities for our Ministry as part of the UAE Centennial Plan 2071 and the National Hydrogen Strategy. We welcome BEEAH and Chinook Hydrogen’s progress following the presentation at COP28 and look forward to future collaborations on this commercial-scale waste-to-hydrogen plant. The project’s innovative process for green hydrogen production from waste has the potential to significantly contribute to national priorities such as reducing reliance on fossil fuels and emerging as one of the global leaders in hydrogen production.”
The waste-to-hydrogen technology that will be used in the plant has been independently verified by international consultants and has received a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) between 6 and 7, indicating its readiness to be demonstrated in operational environments and large-scale deployment. Following the first phase, BEEAH, Chinook Hydrogen and Air Water Inc. are planning to scale the plant and increase production capacity to 20 tons of green hydrogen per day.
Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO and Vice Chairman, BEEAH, commented that, “We are proud to collaborate with MoEI our international technology partners Chinook Hydrogen and Air Water Inc. to realize the Middle East’s first commercial-scale waste-to-hydrogen plant. The plant will help us tackle the challenge of emissions on multiple fronts: unlocking the opportunity of emissions-free fuel for hard-to-abate sectors, supporting hydrogen-fueled mobility, and increasing diversion rates of hard-to-recycle waste and thereby eliminating the associated landfill emissions.”
Aligning with the National Hydrogen Strategy, the UAE aims to become one of the world’s leading hydrogen production hubs by 2031. BEEAH is continuing to explore ways to contribute to the national hydrogen ambition, from the first successful demonstration in the plant in Nottingham, UK, and presentation at the UAE Pavilion at COP28, to developing the commercial-scale plant in Sharjah along with its international partners.
Dr. Rifat Chalabi, Group Chairman, and CEO of Chinook Hydrogen, quoted that, “Through intensive research and development, Chinook has developed a proven cost-competitive, negative carbon intensity hydrogen production technology using its patented commercially proven state-of-the-art RODECS technology. The green hydrogen produced combines low-cost hydrogen production with a negative carbon footprint, which continues to be the primary objective for the hydrogen industry. The UAE-based hydrogen-from-waste plant will deliver upon this hydrogen industry objective whilst aligning with the UAE’s vision of becoming a global leader in the development and production of low carbon fuels of the future.”
