Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has signing a collaboration agreement with The Center for Waste Management – Abu Dhabi (CWM) to study and develop a waste-to-energy demonstration facility at the Dalma Island in the emirate.
 
As per the deal, Taqa and CWM will together develop a waste-to-energy facility that produces 1 to 2 megawatt of alternative energy. This will be enough to supply power to more than 200 households as well as providing a more efficient waste management solution.

Waste from Dalma Island, which lies 32 km offshore Abu Dhabi´s Western Region, is currently shipped to the mainland and further transported by road to landfills in Abu Dhabi.
 
Dr Salem Al Kaabi, CWM’s deputy manager, said, “Working on advanced solutions for waste management is a valuable part of the job we have in ensuring Abu Dhabi becomes recognized for its integrated waste management system within the UAE and beyond. Working with Taqa helps us develop new ideas and technologies in the energy space from which we can all benefit.”

Dr Saif Al Sayari, the executive officer and head of Taqa’s energy solutions division, said: "As an Abu Dhabi energy company, we have a duty and responsibility to support our local communities and environment. We are delighted to extend our partnership with the CWM and contribute to more efficient waste treatment for Dalma Island’s community."

"We consider this demonstration plant a practical first step to capture lessons learned during construction and operation phases and benefit our announced large scale project to convert a million ton of municipal solid waste per year into 100 MW of alternative power," he added.  

Taqa and CWM teams have started conceptual studies for different waste-to-energy technical schemes to ascertain the best form of energy recovery from Dalma Island’s waste, which includes household and organic waste.
 
The duo is developing a large scale waste-to-energy plant in the UAE capital and last month started the qualification process for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC).

The plant will convert up to 1,000,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste a year into 100 MW of alternative power, enough energy to power more than 20,000 households in Abu Dhabi. The plant will be the first in the UAE and is expected to begin operations in 2016/17.-TradeArabia News Service