UAE landfill site to host 120MW solar
A Masdar-backed company is developing a 120MW solar project on a landfill site in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Emirates Waste to Energy Company, a joint venture between Bee’ah and Masdar, will construct the renewable energy plant on top of Bee’ah’s Al Sa’jah landfill, near the Sharjah Waste to Energy facility and Bee’ah’s waste management complex.
The solar landfill project will be delivered in three phases, with the first phase due for completion in 2023.
The agreement was announced jointly by Khaled Al Huraimel, group CEO of Bee’ah and chairman of the Emirates Waste to Energy Company, and Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.
Al Ramahi said: “Waste is a growing issue in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
“However, this project highlights how we can use closed landfills to deliver clean energy, while simultaneously supporting the UAE’s clean energy targets and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are confident that this project can become a benchmark for other landfill sites in the region.”
Finding productive uses for closed landfills is a global industry issue due to stringent environmental monitoring and remediation requirements that can take up to 30 years.
Redeveloping the landfill into a solar farm will add to Sharjah’s renewable energy generation, and it is also economically and environmentally beneficial, said Emirates Waste to Energy Company.
It will be responsible for the financing, design, procurement and construction.
Under the terms of the lease agreement, operation and maintenance services will also be provided by the company for a 25-year period.
Source : renews
