HZI reports progress on Dubai project

Switzerland-based Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) and its project partner, BESIX of Belgium, say the 1.9 million tons per year waste-to-energy (WTE) facility they are building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), this month provided its first electricity transmission to the UAE’s national power grid.

Calling the Dubai facility the world’s largest plant of its type, HZI says the project is being delivered on schedule with a timeline of becoming fully operational next July.

"[Next summer], the facility will accelerate the city of Dubai’s move away from landfill dependency, [and] instead, the new plant will use nonrecyclable waste as a valuable resource to power around 135,000 homes across Dubai and the Emirates," HZI says.

In the joint venture, HZI is combining its WTE technology, engineering, procurement and construction experience with BESIX’s experience in multifaceted infrastructure projects.

Currently, more than 2,200 construction workers are on-site and hot commissioning is proceeding on two of the facility’s five combustion lines, which are transmitting electricity to the grid.

The site also has been visited by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai and chair of the Dubai Executive Council.

Deliveries of more than 2,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are currently arriving each day, HZI adds, as it gears up to bring online the other three combustion lines.

Once fully operational, the new plant will have the capacity to treat more than 1.9 million metric tons of waste annually, ideally helping Dubai achieve its goal of 75 percent landfill diversion by 2025.

“To send the first electricity to the UAE’s national grid is a huge achievement for HZI and BESIX,” says Roni Araiji, managing director for the Middle East at HZI. “To add power to Dubai’s grid is a key moment for the City of Dubai and our onsite teams.”

“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," BESIX Vice President Benoit Vadani says. "This remarkable endeavor is a testament to our combined expertise and unwavering commitment to driving the transition towards a circular economy and reducing landfill dependency.”