Tadweer to develop Middle East’s first Waste-to-Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility
Project will be developed with the support of private sector firms and supported by Etihad Airways
The Middle East’s first Waste-to-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (WtF) plant is to be developed in Abu Dhabi following the signing of a Joint Project Development Agreement (JPDA) between Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre (Tadweer) and Etihad Airways. On completion, the plant will have the potential to transform up to four million tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) every year into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
According to a statement, SAF produced from the WtF plant in Abu Dhabi would be compliant to International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) standards for decarbonisation of the aviation sector. The plant will help Abu Dhabi to divert 75% of municipal waste away from landfills and will significantly contribute to the UAE’s actions on climate change.
Tadweer stated that the Waste-to-SAF plant is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about one million tonnes annually – equivalent to the removal of more than 200,000 cars from the road.
“This agreement is aligned with Tadweer’s continued efforts to divert waste from landfills and harness technological innovations that are commercially viable to address the challenges posed by the treatment of large volume of waste,” said its director general Dr Salem Al Kaabi.
Etihad Airways will enter into a long-term SAF offtake agreement with Tadweer as the provider of feedstock waste under a long-term waste supply agreement, the statement added.
Al Kaabi noted that private sector participants would be invited to submit proposals to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the facilities, which will use advanced commercially proven technology to convert municipal solid waste into SAF.
He added, “In working closely with our partners, Tadweer is proud to steer Abu Dhabi’s sustainability agenda through the implementation of an integrated, world-class waste management system that ensures a cleaner and more sustainable environment for present and future generations. This collaboration between Tadweer and Etihad Airways reinforces Abu Dhabi’s, and the broader UAE’s, commitment to net-zero targets that puts UAE on a credible path to zero out emissions by mid-century. We look forward to capitalising on further opportunities that utilise the most efficient waste-management technologies and drive our nation’s clean development ambitions.”
Etihad Aviation Group COO Mohammad Al Bulooki added, “To truly make sustainability a reality in aviation we need to look at the biggest contributing factor, fuel, where sustainable aviation fuel is required to meet the net zero target.”
“Through this agreement, four million tonnes of waste will be converted into 140 million gallons of SAF, representing a significant portion of our annual fuel requirement. Today’s collaboration between Tadweer and Etihad Airways is just the first step towards a much broader engagement within Abu Dhabi to create a hub for producing SAF and synfuels,” he concluded.
