Gulf Construction Online - Besix, Hitachi mark first fire at $1.2bn WtE plant

UAE Focus

The $1.2-billion waste-to-energy facility.

Besix, Hitachi mark first fire at $1.2bn WtE plant

01 August 2023

Belgian construction company Besix and its partner Zurich-based green-tech company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) have achieved a significant milestone in their Dubai Waste-to-Energy (DWE) project with the successful ignition of the first fire at the $1.2-billion facility.

This achievement represents a crucial step towards completing and operating the plant, demonstrating the efficient and safe processing of waste to generate renewable energy, said Besix.

Chosen for its extensive experience and expertise in complex infrastructure projects, Besix will play an integral role in the DWE project.

The group is overseeing civil, infrastructure, fire-fighting and ancillary works, while its Swiss partner is in charge of the process-related work, leveraging its cutting-edge technologies and expertise to convert municipal solid waste efficiently and safely into clean energy.

According to Besix, the DWE facility aims to reduce landfill dependency and help Dubai achieve its goal of 75 per cent waste diversion by 2025. Currently in its commissioning phase, the DWE facility processes 1,000 tonnes of waste daily.

HZI’s specialist engineers have successfully overseen the first electricity transmission from the DWE plant to the UAE’s national power grid, said the company.

Energy production on two lines is set to commence this month. The project aims to be fully operational across all five lines in Q1 2024.

The joint venture partners began construction on the giant W-t-E plant in 2020. When fully operational in July 2024, this facility will accelerate Dubai’s move away from landfill dependency. Instead, the new plant will use non-recyclable waste as a valuable resource to power around 135,000 homes across Dubai and the emirates.

At its peak, the plant will process 5,666 tonnes of waste daily, equivalent to 2 million tonnes annually. This will generate 220 MW of electricity. From the residual ash produced during combustion, metals will be recovered and recycled for commercial use.

Once completed, the joint venture between HZI and Besix will provide operation and maintenance services for 35 years under an agreement with Dubai Municipality.

Currently, with over 2,200 construction workers onsite, hot commissioning is proceeding on two of the facility’s five combustion lines which are transmitting electricity to the grid. This will be followed by the three remaining lines in due course, said HZI.