Dubai’s first biogas-to-energy plant boosts climate targets

Dubai Municipality has completed its first biogas-to-energy project at its Warsan wastewater treatment plant as part of its renewable energy initiatives.

The project was developed through a public-private partnership between Dubai Municipality and French water and waste management group Veolia, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported.

Dubai’s sewerage system will support the plant, as the network connection spans more than three million metres in length and includes 56 rainwater pumping stations, 110 substations and 13 main pumping stations. 

The system also contains two wastewater treatment facilities, one in Warsan with a daily capacity of up to 325,000 cubic metres and another in Jebel Ali with a daily capacity of up to 675,000 cubic metres.

The biogas power facility will generate 44,250mwh of electricity annually.

The project’s daily power generation capacity of 6mw and will cover 50 percent of the Warsan wastewater treatment plant’s operational needs.

The facility will reduce annual carbon emissions by 31,000 tonnes and decrease operational costs by AED320 million ($87.15 million) over 25 years.

The Warsan plant will produce 57,000 cubic metres of biogas per day. Almost 54,800 cubic metres per day of biogas will produce 121mwh of electricity, meeting 50 percent of the Warsan wastewater treatment plant’s needs.

The UAE is aiming to generate 14GW of clean energy by 2030, up from 9.2 GW at present, the UAE Climate Minister Mariam Almheiri told CNN in January.

“When I talk about the UAE, we have targets; we’ve set clean energy targets already for 2030,” she said. “And by 2050, 50 percent of our energy supply will come from clean and renewable energy sources,” she added.