Sharjah opens region’s first commercial-scale waste-to-energy plant

Facility will divert up to 300,000 tonnes of waste away from landfills each year

The region's first waste-to-energy plant, which will be able to divert up to 300,000 tonnes of waste away from landfills each year, has been opened in Sharjah.

The Sharjah Waste to Energy plant has been set up by Emirates Waste to Energy, a joint venture between Sharjah environmental management company Beeah and Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar.

First announced in 2018, the plant will enable Sharjah to increase its current landfill diversion rate from 76 per cent to 100 per cent, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Combusted waste will produce 30 megawatts of low-carbon electricity, enough to power 28,000 homes in Sharjah and save 45 million cubic metres of natural gas a year.

It also aims to make Sharjah the Middle East’s first zero-waste city.

The deployment of the first commercial-scale waste-to-energy plant in the Middle East represents a “landmark achievement” in the UAE’s sustainable economic growth trajectory, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and chairman of Masdar.

“By turning waste into energy, this new plant exemplifies the economic benefits of sustainable energy production and a low carbon development pathway … the use of this technology reduces waste and landfill use, creates valuable low carbon energy and introduces a new sustainable industry to our region,” he added.

The project will displace nearly 450,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, advancing the UAE’s initiative to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The UAE's net-zero strategy involves Dh600 billion ($163bn) being invested in clean and renewable energy sources in the next three decades across the country.

Last month, Abu Dhabi also revealed its zero-waste proposal under which it aims to ensure that no waste is sent to landfill after 2071.

Officials said they planned to use satellites to track waste, open sorting centres that use artificial intelligence to separate rubbish from recyclables and use unmanned vehicles to clean the emirate’s streets.

The new Sharjah plant — designed, built and operated by France-based industrial contractor CNIM — follows the EU’s best available techniques to align with environmental standards globally, the statement said.

While producing energy from unrecyclable waste, the plant also has systems to improve energy efficiency and reduce water consumption.

It works by processing unrecyclable waste at high temperatures and the resulting heat is recovered by a boiler. The boiler then produces steam, which drives a turbine to produce electricity.

Bottom ash produced during the process is collected for recovery of metals and ash material, which can be used in construction and roadwork applications. Fly ash is also collected and treated separately.

“This is the type of practical innovation that the UAE is keen to promote along with domestic and international partners in support of commercially viable climate solutions, in particular as the nation prepares to host Cop 28 next year,” Dr Al Jaber said.

The waste-to-energy plant will not only support the UAE’s net-zero emissions objective, “it also addresses the vital issue of waste management — a major problem for many cities in the GCC”, Masdar chief executive Mohamed Al Ramahi said.

Emirates Waste to Energy, which is equally owned by Beeah and Masdar, said it plans to establish more plants across the UAE and the Middle East.

It is also exploring collaborations with international and local entities, including the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.