International consortium builds waste-to-energy facility in Dubai

The facility will treat 1,900,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year. Its size and capacity make this facility one of the largest in the world. Up to 200 MW of thermal energy recovered will be fed into the local grid.

This strategic project marks an important contribution to Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and Dubai Plan 2021 to making the Emirate one of the most sustainable cities in the world.

The agreement with Dubai Municipality includes the design and construction of the facilities, as well as financing and a 35-year operation and maintenance period on behalf of Dubai Municipality.

On 25 March 2021, Dubai Waste Management Company P.S.C., a special purpose development vehicle consisting of BESIX, Tech Group, Hitachi Zosen Inova, ITOCHU Corporation, DUBAL Holding LLC and Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group LLC, entered into long-term project finance loan agreements in the amount of 900 million USD with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and private financial institutions including Société Générale Bank, KfW IPEX Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., Siemens Bank and Crédit Agricole Bank. Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) will provide the insurance for a part of the loan being provided by the financial institutions.

Early construction works on site started in 2020. The facility will consist of five processing lines, which will be delivered in 2023 and 2024. At the peak of the works, 2,500 workers will be deployed and the site will use up to 16 tower cranes, including the world’s largest tower cranes in order to install the equipment inside the plant.

Hitachi Zosen Inova and BESIX will also be in charge of the operations and maintenance of the plant for 35 years.