Energy-from-Waste for Emirates of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain Launched

Ministry of Climate Change and Environment signs agreement with BESIX and Griffin Refineries

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has signed a cooperation agreement with the joint venture BESIX-Griffin Refineries to develop an Integrated Waste Management Project in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain.

Under a public private partnership (PPP) scheme and with the support of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the project forms part of the first phase of the ‘Energy-From-Waste’ scheme launched in the Emirate of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain.
The facility is estimated to cost around 50 million US Dollars and will receive 1,000 tonnes of household waste per day from approximately 550,000 residents living in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain.

The waste will then be converted into alternative energy source called Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which will be used in cement factories as an important fuel, thereby partially replacing the traditional use of gas or coal, and simultaneously resulting in a diversion of approximately 90% of household waste from the landfill.
“The Ministry has been working hard on developing an integrated waste management plan and selecting state-of-the-art solutions that enable the U.A.E. to realise its ambitious sustainability goals,” commented Eng. Yousif Alahmed Alrayssi, Director of Waste Department, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
“I am very pleased that today, with our team and with the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, we can implement this strategic project for waste management in the Northern Emirates.”

Work on the project is expected to commence in summer 2018, and the operational RDF facility is expected to be complete by end of 2019.

Nico De Koning, Project Manager of BESIX Concessions & Assets Middle East added, “BESIX has a long-standing history with the U.A.E. and the Northern Emirates in particular.”
“Our purpose to excel at creating sustainable solutions has lead us to focus not only on wastewater and water, but also to deliver innovative waste management solutions. BESIX has major ambitions in the field of waste management, as demonstrated by the award of this project as well as the recent win of the Dubai Waste-to-Energy PPP. Working together with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and our partner has been a real pleasure and I am confident that all the elements are in place to make this project a success for all stakeholders.”

“Griffin Refineries has in-depth knowledge and a lot of experience in waste upcycling, and we have dealt with numerous cement factories in Europe that use RDF for up to 80% of all their energy needs,” explained Sami Kivisalo, VP Middle East, South Asia & Africa, Griffin Refineries.
“We are pleased that our expertise have been recognised and we look forward to working with our partners, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and BESIX.”