The Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), the sole procurer of water and electricity in Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre (Tadweer) have jointly launched a competitive tender process for the development of a greenfield Waste-to-Energy (WtE) power project near the existing Al Dhafra landfill in the Abu Dhabi emirate, it was announced on Sunday.

EWEC and Tadweer have invited developers to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to EWEC by 11 February 2021, according to an EWEC-issued press statement.

The proposed WtE plant will be developed through Abu Dhabi's successful Independent Power Plant model, with long-term project agreements encompassing both power purchase and waste supply with EWEC and Tadweer, the statement said.

The plant would have a processing capacity between 600,000 and 900,000 tonnes of waste per year.

EWEC Chief Executive Officer Othman Al Ali said the project would expand the company's portfolio to include circular economy projects.

"Our collaboration with Tadweer to develop this plant is a crucial next step in the aim of significantly reducing waste to landfill, stimulating the economy, and decreasing CO2 emissions. We are looking for the best partners to develop the project and support this ambitious and significant strategy."

The project will involve the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the WtE plant that will use advanced moving grate technology to convert municipal solid waste into electricity via a high-efficiency steam turbine generator set. The successful developer will own up to 40 percent of the entity while the remaining equity will be primarily held indirectly by the Abu Dhabi Government.

According to statement, the WtE plant will generate enough electricity to power up to 22,500 UAE households, making it one of the largest WtE facilities in the region, and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1.5 million tonnes per year (equivalent to the removal of more than 300,000 cars from the road).

Salem Al Kaabi, Director General of Tadweer, said the project will set the benchmark for WtE energy projects in the region, not only in terms of scale but also in terms of efficiency and environmental benefits.

Following review of the EOIs by EWEC and Tadweer, EWEC will issue the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to proceed to the next stage.

Last week, the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) had launched the emirate's waste-to-energy policy.

UAE Vision 2021 aims to divert 75 percent of Municipal Solid Waste away from landfills.

(Writing by Saket S; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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