The UAE has taken an early lead in the Middle East making steadfast progress in adopting waste-to–energy solutions to reduce landfill dependency. With progressive circular economy policies, the country has stepped up its game in resource efficiency and waste reduction, supporting reduce, reuse and recycling initiatives across all the Emirates. Complementing it in this journey are the waste to energy projects, established in the UAE. As a departure from traditional methods of waste management, waste-to-energy technology helps divert waste from landfills, manage non-recyclable waste efficiently, while also generating renewable energy and reducing CO2 emissions. 

In an interview with Waste & Recycling magazine, Majed Al Marzooqi, Acting Head, Project and Facilities, Tadweer Group, threw light on Abu Dhabi’s waste-to-energy project, recognised as one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. 

Since its rebranding in 2024, Tadweer Group has been making great strides in its mission to transform waste into resources, rolling out a series of projects in collaboration with global leaders in the waste and recycling industry. “As part of ADQ's Energy & Utilities portfolio, the company has focused its efforts on unlocking the value of waste, identifying advanced technologies that can diversify waste treatment options and investing in innovative solutions to manage waste effectively,” remarked Majed Al Marzooqi. 

One of Tadweer Group’s flagship projects is its waste-to-energy plant, built in collaboration with Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) and a Japanese consortium. With a processing capacity of 900,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year, the new plant will tackle waste disposal challenges and generate enough electricity to power up to 52,500 homes annually across the country.

The Al Dhafra plant will utilise advanced moving grate technology and high-efficiency steam turbine generators to convert municipal solid waste, along with commercial and industrial waste, into clean electricity. Expected to be commissioned by 2027, the project will play a crucial role in Abu Dhabi’s efforts to meet its 2050 carbon reduction goals, he said.  

Al Marzooqi highlighted the facility’s strategic location near the Al Dhafra landfill. The location near a landfill allows for operational efficiency, seamless logistics and reduced transportation costs, he added.  

Tadweer Group sees the plant as an integral part of a broader waste management strategy, he said, adding,  “The key is ensuring that only nonrecyclable waste is diverted to energy recovery. The facility is designed with advanced emissions control technologies, including state-of-the-art boiler efficiencies and air pollution control systems, as per international emissions standards,” he pointed out.  It is a significant solution to reduce waste and divert it from landfills. It is an integrated process that aligns with our strategic agenda to cut carbon emissions by 2050, " he added. 

With a goal of diverting 80% of waste from landfills by 2030, Tadweer Group is striving to establish a new standard for circular economy solutions in Abu Dhabi. “We also prioritise raising societal awareness about the waste hierarchy and the environmental and economic benefits of resource recovery,” he said, highlighting the community engagement initiatives of the organisation. 

While the broader target is set for 2030 and beyond, the group has set specific objectives for 2025. These include achieving substantial advancements in waste recovery, recycling, and resource optimisation and overall expanding the scope of circular economy solutions. 

Future of WtE in the Middle East

“WtE is a well-established and mature technology that has proven to be both bankable and scalable. With strong zero-waste and landfill reduction policies, the Middle East is all set to harness the technology,” he noted.   

While WtE remains a key component of landfill diversion strategies, the future may witness the emergence of other advanced technologies, such as waste-to-sustainable aviation fuel, further expanding the scope of waste-based energy solutions, Al Marzooqi predicted. 

He remarked that the success of WtE and circular economy initiatives depends on public awareness and stakeholder engagement. “Unlocking the true value of waste—whether as recyclable materials or energy resources—requires active participation of all stakeholders including waste generators, businesses, and policymakers.” 

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Beeah announces Phase Two expansion of Sharjah Waste to Energy Plant 

The Sharjah Waste-to-Energy plant, operated by a joint venture between Beeah, Veolia and Masdar, recently reached a key milestone, processing over 500,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste. Launched in 2022, the state-of-the-art plant has the capacity to process 37.5 tonnes per hour of municipal waste to generate electric power, enough to power up to 28,000 homes and offset up to 450,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. 

The plant has successfully abated 750,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions and recovered 2,000 tonnes of metal since it began operations. In addition, 3,000,000 kWh electricity has been exported, and more than 300,000 hours have been worked without a lost time incident, reflecting high safety standards at the site, according to its press statement. 

This groundbreaking project is equipped with cutting-edge technology to ensure both high efficiency and minimal environmental impact. It includes a CNIM boiler with a unique four-pass system and a Martin grate with a 5-run design which ensures optimal combustion control. The LAB flue gas treatment system further minimises emissions, supporting the facility’s role to reduce environmental impact. 

In January 2025, Emirates Waste to Energy, the joint venture between Beeah and Masdar, formalised Phase Two expansion plans for the Sharjah Waste to Energy plant on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). 

The signing ceremony took place between Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO and Vice Chairman of Beeah, and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, at Beeah’s stand at the Summit.

The Phase Two expansion will replicate the successes of the current Sharjah Waste to Energy plant. The expansion will effectively double the plant’s annual output from 30 MW to nearly 60 MW, while processing up to 600,000 tonnes of hard-to-recycle waste annually and displacing up to 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

With the completion of Phase Two, the plant will also produce enough power to meet the yearly energy requirements for the equivalent of nearly 60,000 homes, helping address the increasing energy demand for the growing population and development in the Emirate of Sharjah.

Khaled Al Huraimel welcomed the agreement saying, "This expansion marks a significant milestone in our journey towards eliminating landfills in Sharjah, demonstrating that zero-waste cities are possible and underscoring the vital role of waste-to-energy innovations in the clean energy transition.

"Our collaboration with Masdar led to a regional first when the plant first began operations in 2022 – waste-to-energy operations at commercial-scale. Now, we will further build on that milestone by effectively doubling capacities. We are not only accelerating our zero-waste to landfill target but we are also making a substantial contribution to the national clean energy mix while reducing carbon emissions."

He added, "We believe the success of this expansion will serve as a model for more cities to reduce dependence on landfills and eventually eliminate them while taking huge steps forward for the clean-energy and net-zero transition.”

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi stated, “We are proud to extend the Sharjah Waste-to-Energy Plant for Phase Two with Beeah. This milestone represents a significant step forward in supporting the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 initiative and aligns with the country’s leadership in pioneering innovative sustainable solutions. By building on the success of Phase 1, this project will help us achieve the UAE’s ambitious target of diverting 75 percent of solid waste from landfills, demonstrating the vital role of clean energy technologies in addressing environmental challenges and driving a sustainable future for the nation.”

The Phase Two expansion will accelerate total landfill diversion in Sharjah, building on the current 90% landfill diversion rate — one of the highest in the world — and bring Beeah closer to its goal of realising a zero-waste city. The waste-to-energy facility will further complement Beeah’s four square-kilometre integrated waste management complex, where over ten specialised facilities recovery valuable material for introduction into the circular economy. The remaining, hard-to-recycle waste is sent to the Sharjah Waste to Energy plant, closing the loop and diverting nearly 300,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.

Annually, the 80,000 square-metre facility currently generates 30 MW of low-carbon power — enough to power 28,000 homes, displacing almost 450,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and conserving up to 45 million cubic metres of natural gas per year. Recently, the Sharjah Waste to Energy Plant achieved the milestone of processing 500,000 tonnes of waste with a notable uptime of 93%, indicating a high-level efficiency and minimal disruption in its initial years of operation. The Phase Two expansion will virtually double the total capabilities of the current plant, allowing it to process a larger volume of hard-to-recycle waste, generate more clean energy, power more homes with clean energy and displace more CO2 emissions.

The waste-to-energy process involves several stages, including waste segregation, high-temperature combustion, energy generation through a steam turbine generator, and flue gas treatment to remove toxins and pollutants. The expansion will maintain these advanced processes, while ensuring safe and efficient operations.

It will also further demonstrate the importance of waste-to-energy innovations in the clean-energy transition, which simultaneously reduces landfill and fossil fuel dependence while lowering emissions.

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Warsan Waste-to-Energy plant operating In full swing 

The Warsan Waste-to-Energy plant, a joint project of Dubai Municipality, Dubai Holding, DUBAL, Tech Group, ITOCHU, BESIX and Kanadevia Inova began full operations in 2024. It processes about 5,666 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, generating up to 220 MW of clean energy, which will power approximately 135,000 homes. In addition to producing clean energy, the facility repurposes residual ash into cement kiln dust, to be recycled back into the cement production process to reduce the consumption of raw materials. Metals recovered from the waste are also recycled, contributing to Dubai’s circular economy efforts.

The Warsan Waste-to-Energy plant sets a new global benchmark for waste-to-energy projects, adhering to the highest standards of engineering and environmental sustainability. The facility's completion is a result of strong collaboration between public and private sectors, delivering innovative infrastructure solutions that address pressing environmental challenges.