Sharjah Ruler opens first waste-to-energy plant in ME

The Sharjah Waste to Energy plant is the first project of Emirates Waste to Energy, a joint venture established by BEEAH Energy, the renewable energy business of BEEAH Group, and Masdar, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies.

The opening ceremony began with the recitation of verses from the Noble Quran, after His Excellency Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, gave a speech in which he gave a general presentation on the achievements of Bee’ah, the Sharjah Waste to Energy plant.

Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee'ah, delivered a speech in which he thanked His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for his continuous support for Bee'ah and for its continuous efforts in implementing the emirate's vision, which contributed to the completion of the Sharjah Waste-to-Energy plant.

Al Huraimel said, in implementation of the vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Bee’ah Group has achieved a qualitative achievement in the Emirate of Sharjah by raising the diversion of waste away from landfills at a rate of 76%, the highest in the Middle East, with the support of various recycling facilities that receive various types of waste.

Al Huraimel added that with the waste-to-energy plant entering the actual operation phase, we will be able to completely treat non-recyclable waste, thus raising the rate of waste diversion in the Emirate of Sharjah away from landfills to one hundred percent.

After that, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikhs and the attendees watched a presentation on the stages of establishing the Sharjah Waste to Energy plant, its most prominent objectives, facilities and expected operating results.

The new Plant will be a turning point towards achieving the goal of zero waste in the Emirate of Sharjah and completely transforming it away from landfills and achieving carbon neutrality. The Plant also will also support the country's efforts to enhance the low-carbon energy mix and treat non-recyclable waste and deal with it according to the highest and latest standards.

The plant includes systems to improve energy efficiency and reduce water consumption, and meets the requirements of the best available technologies issued by the European Union, which sets the international standards adopted in this field.

The Plant, announced in 2018, will divert up to 300,000 tons of waste from landfills annually, supporting the achievement of the UAE's goals for waste diversion and management.

The project will contribute to avoiding the emission of up to 450 thousand tons of carbon dioxide annually, which supports the country's efforts to implement the strategic initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

The plant 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.
His Highness the Sharjah Ruler took a photo with the heads and senior officials of "Bee'ah" group and "Masdar" company.

The opening ceremony was attended by a number of senior officials, members of the Sharjah Executive Council, heads of government departments and business leaders from the public and private sectors.