Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI), a leading Swiss green-tech company, has along with its joint venture partner Belgian infrastructure major Besix, successfully delivered a further milestone for the mega waste-to-energy facility coming up in Dubai.
As the facility’s commissioning programme advances, HZI’s specialist engineers have successfully overseen the first electricity transmission to the UAE’s national power grid, said the company in a statement.
In 2020, the joint venture partners began construction on the giant WTE plant. The project, which is being delivered on schedule, reached a further project key milestone recently with the first electricity transmission to the UAE’s national power grid.
When fully operational in July 2024, this iconic facility will accelerate the City of 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.
The joint venture partners have combined their considerable experience and deep understanding of complex infrastructure projects to bring this scheme through construction and into its commissioning phase, it added.
HZI has been widely recognized as the leading global engineering, procurement and construction partner for waste management infrastructure over many decades.
With Besix’s extensive experience and expertise in multifaceted infrastructure projects, the onsite works are progressing as planned.
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 the Swiss company in a statement.
According to ZHI, deliveries of more than 2,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste are currently arriving each day.
Once fully operational, the new plant will treat over 1.9 million tonnes of waste, significantly reducing the UAE’s landfill dependence and helping Dubai achieve its goal of 75% landfill diversion by 2025, it added.
Roni Araiji, HZI’s Managing Director Middle East, said: "To send the first electricity to the UAE’s national grid is a huge achievement for HZI and Besix. We’re incredibly proud to be safely and efficiently moving through each commissioning milestone. To add power to Dubai’s grid is a key moment for the City of Dubai and our onsite teams."
"Next year, this plant will deliver reliable baseload energy that will power around 135,000 homes, and, importantly, it will also help Dubai and the UAE to meet their environmental and landfill diversion goals," he noted.
Besix Vice-President (Director Development) Benoit Vadani said: "We take immense pride in our partnership with Hitachi Zosen Inova and the successful achievement of another significant milestone for the Dubai Waste-to-Energy project."
"This remarkable endeavour is a testament to our combined expertise and unwavering commitment to driving the transition towards a circular economy and reducing landfill dependency," stated Vadani.
"Together with Hitachi Zosen Inova, we are dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that align with Dubai and the UAE'’s ambitious goals for sustainable development," he added.
