The Sharjah Waste to Energy plant, which will divert 300,000 tonnes of waste from landfills yearly while producing 30 megawatts of low-carbon electricity, has been inaugurated.

The first commercial scale plant of its kind in the Middle East will enable Sharjah to increase waste diversion from 76 per cent to 100 per cent, making it the Middle East’s first zero-waste city.

The project will also displace nearly 450,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, advancing the UAE’s strategic initiative to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The combusted waste will produce 30 megawatts (MW) of low-carbon electricity, enough to power 28,000 homes in Sharjah, and save 45 million cu m of natural gas per year.

The plant 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.

It covers an 80,000 sq m area and is adjacent to the integrated waste management complex operated by Beeah Recycling, Beeah Group’s recycling and material recovery business. Unrecyclable waste from the waste management complex will be taken for processing at the Sharjah Waste to Energy plant.

Set up by the Emirates Waste to Energy company, a joint venture between Beeah, the Middle East’s sustainability pioneer, and Masdar, one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, the project was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

The event was attended by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of Masdar, Salim bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Beeah Group, Masdar Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Beeah Group Chief Executive Officer Khaled Al Huraimel, and other industry and government leaders.

Dr Al Jaber said: “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.”