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Dubai completes biogas-to-energy project at Warsan Wastewater Treatment Plant

The facility with a capacity to generate 44,250 MWh of electricity annually will help reduce annual carbon emissions by 31,000 tonnes

Dubai Municipality announced on Thursday the completion of its biogas-to-energy project at its Warsan Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project is one of the municipality’s renewable energy initiatives that supports its strategic plan to transform its assets into green sustainable assets.

The biogas power facility has the capacity to generate 44,250 MWh of electricity annually. The project’s daily power generation capacity of 6MW will cover 50 per cent of the Warsan Wastewater Treatment Plant’s entire operational needs.

The municipality completed the project in partnership with the private sector, in line with the directives of the Dubai Government to foster productive private-sector partnerships that generate effective solutions for energy needs. The project will contribute to providing sustainable solutions by utilising alternative energy sources, further reducing annual carbon emissions by 31,000 tonnes, in addition to decreasing the plant’s operational cost by Dh320 million over 25 years.

Dawoud Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said: “The biogas project is one of Dubai Municipality’s key initiatives aimed at generating renewable energy from sustainable and clean resources in partnership with the private sector. The project reflects the municipality’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the announcement of 2023 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, as the ‘Year of Sustainability’. The project is also aligned with the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

He added: “By enabling the plant to support itself with the power required for its operations, the initiative serves the major pillars of Dubai Municipality’s strategy such as the circular economy and sustainability, in addition to raising the cost-effectiveness of its operations. This reflects the municipality's strategy for implementing innovative and environmentally friendly projects. The plant also embodies the civic body’s commitment to implementing projects and adopting solutions that promote sustainability in Dubai and support its vision to be the world’s best city to live in.”

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The Warsan Wastewater Treatment Plant produces 57,000 cubic metres of biogas per day as a result of its treatment procedures. Through the biogas power project, approximately 54,800 cubic metres per day will be used to produce 121 MWh of electricity. The project stands out for having fully automated operations with more than 350 tools that continuously monitor operations 24/7.

The plant is supported by Dubai’s extensive sewerage system, whose network connections span more than 3 million metres in length and contain 56 rainwater pumping stations in addition to 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.