A Sharjah-based waste management company, Bee’ah is planning to build the region’s first waste-to-hydrogen project by collaborating with UK-based technology company Chinook Sciences.
The project which includes a green hydrogen generation plant and a hydrogen vehicle fuelling station is part of a $180 million waste gasification to energy project developed by the two companies that address the increased market demand in the region for new sources of renewable energy.
Oil exporting countries in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia and the UAE plan to tap into hydrogen and produce the clean, alternative fuel for exports in the future. Globally, the size of the hydrogen industry is expected to hit $183 billion by 2023, up from $129 billion in 2017, according to Fitch Solutions.
French investment bank Natixis estimates that investment in hydrogen will exceed $300 billion by 2030. State entities ADNOC, Mubadala, and ADQ formed an alliance to develop a hydrogen economy in the UAE. The country has previously announced its aim to become a major hydrogen producer and to reduce carbon emissions by 24 percent by 2030.
Salim Bin Mohammed Al Owais Chairman – Bee’ah
“Green hydrogen will be a vital pillar of our future energy landscape and Bee’ah has been looking into this market for some time now with Chinook in alignment with our long-term strategy to develop new, sustainable energy solutions. As a sustainability leader, Bee’ah is keen to further support the UAE in its hydrogen economy ambitions, energy diversification and decarbonization efforts.”
With the new project, the company plans to support the UAE further in its hydrogen economy, energy diversification, and decarbonization efforts. The addition of a fuelling station adjacent to the plant will overcome challenges of costly transportation of hydrogen, Bee’ah said in a statement.
The fuelling station will use the green hydrogen produced from the waste-to-hydrogen plant, from non-recyclable plastic waste and waste wood. The green hydrogen will then be fed into the fuelling station to power hydrogen vehicles.
“Bee’ah has always recognized the value of energy recovery from waste and through this new project, we aim to support a circular economy across multiple fronts throughout the region,” said Khaled Al Huraimel, group chief executive of Bee’ah.
Commenting on the new project Dr. Rifat Chalabi, Chairman and CEO of Chinook Sciences, said, “Through the use of Chinook’s RODECS technology, the cost of green hydrogen from the plant shall be very competitive and has the potential to be equal to or even less than the cost of diesel and gasoline. At maximum production capacity, the plant shall be capable of fuelling 1,000 hydrogen-powered large vehicles per day.”
