Construction of Tadweer Group’s AlBihouth Waste-to-Energy Facility in Abu Dhabi has reached 90% completion, the emirate’s waste management company said on Monday, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Pressure tests on the plant’s two boilers have been completed. The project has also logged six million working hours without a lost-time injury, the company said.
Once operational, the facility is expected to process about 900,000 tonnes of waste a year and generate enough electricity for 52,000 homes, WAM reported.
It is expected to treat about half of Abu Dhabi’s municipal household waste. The plant is part of the emirate’s plan to divert 80% of its waste away from landfill by 2031.
The facility’s shareholders are Tadweer Group, Japan’s Marubeni Corporation, Switzerland-based Kanadevia Inova and the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development (JOIN).
The milestones were marked at a ceremony at the site attended by Arthur Mattli, Switzerland’s ambassador to the UAE, and Ken Okaniwa, Japan’s ambassador to the UAE.
“Our responsibility extends beyond completing construction. It is to deliver infrastructure that Abu Dhabi can depend on for the long term, while protecting the people who are building it,” said Etienne Petit, chief executive officer of Tadweer Group.
Roni Araiji, country president for the UAE at Kanadevia Inova, said the boiler pressure tests marked an important engineering milestone.
The company did not give a date for the start of operations. It said work was progressing toward commissioning.
