UAE’s First Waste-to-Energy Project Receives Clean Energy Award
Sharjah Waste to Energy Facility, a Bee’ah-Masdar joint project, wins Clean Energy Initiative of the Year at Middle East Energy Awards
Sharjah, UAE 22 September, 2019: The Sharjah Waste to Energy Facility, the first project from the Emirates Waste to Energy Company (EWTE), a joint venture between Bee’ah, the Middle East’s sustainability pioneer, and Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, has been recognised as the winner of the Clean Energy Initiative of the Year category at the Middle East Energy Awards.
Hosted by ITP Media Group, the newly rebranded awards, held in Dubai on September 18, this year included alternative and renewable energy, allowing it to recognise excellence across the entire energy industry. The categories celebrated energy projects, initiatives, individuals and companies that have changed the way energy is used in the Middle East.
The Clean Energy Initiative of the Year award recognises a strategic approach to lowering a company’s carbon footprint through the use of alternative energy. The inclusion of the Sharjah Waste to Energy Facility is a recognition of the work that the EWTE is doing in this field; specifically, its work in building the UAE’s first waste-to-energy plant. Upon completion in 2021, the 30 MW facility will process more than 37.5 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) per hour to generate electricity sustainably; and divert more than 300,000 tonnes of municipal waste away from landfills every year. It will also displace almost 450,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and save 45 million m3 of natural gas per year.
Operating at full capacity, the facility will contribute significantly to reaching the UAE’s target of diverting 75 percent of its solid waste from landfills by 2021 and will help support the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix from 25 percent to 50 percent by 2050 and reduce carbon footprint of power generation by 70 percent. It will also help meet the Vision 2021 target of meeting 27 percent of energy requirements from clean sources.
Commenting on the recognition of the Sharjah Waste to Energy Facility, HE Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah, said, “We are proud to win the Clean Energy Initiative of the Year at the Middle East Energy Awards. The Sharjah Waste to Energy Facility represents a new milestone on the path to a sustainable future in the UAE and is also a case study for how leading regional companies can join forces to collaborate on environment-friendly initiatives. The WTE plant will help take us beyond the 76 percent waste diversion rate that Bee’ah has achieved in Sharjah, and keep us on track to make Sharjah the first zero-waste city in the region by 2021, which will help the region move to a cleaner and more energy-efficient future that benefits everyone.”
“The critical need for environmentally responsible waste management solutions in fast growing regions of the world such as the Middle East accounts for the astonishing amount of positive interest our joint venture with Bee’ah has received,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. “We are incredibly proud at Masdar to be leading the way with the Emirate of Sharjah in the deployment of large-scale, bankable waste-to-energy technology in the UAE. The Sharjah Waste to Energy Facility will achieve lasting benefits for the UAE
community by diverting a significant volume of municipal waste from landfill each year, and by producing electricity whose impact on the climate is far less than that produced from fossil fuels. We are immensely pleased that our partnership with Bee’ah has been recognised by the Middle East Energy Awards jury and look forward to bringing the UAE’s first waste-to-energy plant successfully on stream in 2021 – hopefully the first of many such projects in the Middle East.”
Earlier this year, Emirates Waste to Energy Company was recognized as the Waste Deal of the Year, for the Middle East and North Africa region, at the IJGlobal Awards 2018. The project was also recognized as the Clean Energy Deal of the Year, for the Middle East and Africa region, at the Project Finance International Awards 2018. Last year, the financing of the Sharjah Waste to Energy Facility was recognized as the Structured Loan Deal of the Year at the Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Middle East Awards.
The Middle East Energy Awards attract a large gathering of top-level figures and senior decision makers to celebrate industry excellence. The awards attract nominations from a wide range of companies and individuals across the Middle East, competing to receive one of the most highly regarded industry awards available.
Since 2010, the annual awards event hosted by Oil & Gas Middle East and Refining & Petrochemicals Middle East featured categories across the oil and gas value chain. But in recognition of the shifting energy landscape, the rebranded awards this year will also recognise achievements in utilities, including alternative energy, making the event a more holistic celebration of the region’s energy sector.
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