Gulf Construction Online - Besix to build waste to energy plant in Dubai

UAE Focus

Al Qusais Landfill Gas-to-Energy project.

Besix to build waste to energy plant in Dubai

01 February 2020

Dubai Municipality has awarded Besix the contract to build the Al Qusais Landfill Gas-to-Energy project and operate it over 16.5 years.

The renewable energy project consists of capturing the gas from the landfill at Al Qusais in Dubai and treating it to produce electricity. This recovery of methane, which is produced by the decomposition of organic fractions, is all the more sustainable as it prevents this environmentally harmful gas from escaping into the atmosphere, said Dubai Municipality.

Once completed, the facilities will comprise a network of 22 to 24 km of pipes and will treat up to 9,000 cu m of landfill gas per hour. The facilities will have a production capacity of 12 MW.

The project is part of the Dubai Municipality Strategic Plan for an integrated waste management and its ambitious environmental objectives. It is also in line with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) regarding solid waste management.

The project strengthens Besix’s leading position in the waste-to-energy market in the UAE and confirms its expertise in the sustainable recovery of both organic and non-organic solid waste, it said.

Benoit Vadani, vice president business development at Besix, said: “We are particularly honoured by Dubai Municipality’s renewed confidence in our group’s environmental expertise. This project strengthens Besix’s leading position in the waste-to-energy market in the UAE. Our group now operates energy recovery facilities for both organic and non-organic solid waste, two complementary and sustainable activities.”

Besix is a leading Belgian group, operating on five continents, primarily in the construction, real estate development and concessions sectors. In recent years, it has become a leading player in the wastewater treatment and waste-to-resource sectors in the Gulf region. In addition to design and construction, the group offers financing, operations and maintenance services through public-private partnerships.

In the waste-to-energy sector, its current activities include the Dubai Municipality’s thermal waste recycling plant, the world’s largest waste-to-energy plant. The project is in the final stages of financing and an early mobilisation on site is anticipated shortly. The facility will be operated by Besix and Hitachi Zosen Inova.

Other projects include the development of a refuse-derived fuel facility by Emirates RDF (Besix – Tech Group Eco Single Owner Holding – Griffin Refineries) in Umm Al Quwain, whose production will partially replace the use of fossil fuels in cement plants.