Waste-to-energy is an essential innovation to sustaining the circular economy, tackling the challenge of unrecyclable waste, and serving as a more affordable, low-carbon alternative to traditional fossil fuels.
The Sharjah Waste to Energy plant was inaugurated by Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
It is the Middle East’s first waste-to-energy plant and it’s the first project of Emirates Waste to Energy, a joint venture established by Beeah Energy and Masdar.
The plant, first announced in 2018, will divert up to 300,000 tonnes of waste from landfills annually.
It will contribute to avoiding the emission of up to 450,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, which supports the country’s efforts to implement the strategic initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, according to news agency WAM.
It will produce 30 megawatts of low-carbon electricity, enough to supply electricity to about 28,000 homes in the UAE and provide 45 million cubic meters of natural gas each year.
Constructed by France-based industrial contractor CNIM, the plant covers an area of 80,000 sq m.
Within it, unrecyclable waste is fed into a boiler to produce high-pressure steam, turning 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.
Adjacent to the plant is a waste-management complex operated by Beeah Recycling, Beeah Group’s recycling and material recovery business, which has already helped achieve a 76 percent landfill waste diversion rate in the emirate of Sharjah. Unrecyclable waste from the complex will be transported to the waste-to-energy plant.
