Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIHM (ABU DHABI)
Sharjah-based sustainability group BEEAH will establish a national hub for electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling in the UAE, with the new facility expected to become operational this year, a senior executive told Aletihad on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of new partnership signings during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026, Daker Rabaya, CEO of Waste Processing and Recycling Environment at BEEAH, said the company has signed a shareholder agreement with a technology provider and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure to jointly develop the project.
“All the batteries that are produced or imported into the UAE will be recycled here,” Rabaya said, noting the facility will be the country’s dedicated hub for EV battery recycling.
The plant will initially have the capacity to recycle about 5,000 tonnes of batteries a year, with scope to expand as demand grows.
Installation work will begin immediately following the signing.
BEEAH will deploy so-called “wet” recycling technology, one of the two established methods for EV battery processing.
Rabaya said the wet process was selected because it is safer and enables higher-quality material recovery.
The EV battery project is the latest in a long-running strategy by BEEAH Recycling to introduce at least one new technology each year since 2010.
While early initiatives focused on waste collection systems and material recovery, Rabaya said the group is now moving into more advanced and specialised waste streams.
On energy use, Rabaya said sustainability has been built into the design of the new facility. BEEAH already produces more renewable energy than it consumes through its waste-to-energy plant in Sharjah, which generates 30 megawatts of electricity.
New Facility for Industrial Waste
Separately, BEEAH has signed an agreement with KEZAD Group to establish a joint venture targeting hazardous, industrial and marine waste generated at Abu Dhabi ports and within KEZAD industrial zones.
The new facility, expected to begin operations in 2028, will apply a zero-waste-to-landfill model that BEEAH has already deployed in Sharjah for the past five years.
The technology converts hazardous and industrial waste into alternative raw materials through BEEAH subsidiary Evogreen, which is majority-owned by BEEAH alongside Greek partner Polygreen.
In Sharjah, the existing facility can treat up to 40,000 tonnes of such waste annually.
The KEZAD plant will start with similar capacity, with modular expansion planned in line with industrial growth.
Processing Over 3 Million Tonnes of Waste Every Year
Across the UAE, BEEAH currently handles more than 3 million tonnes of waste each year, Rabaya said.
More than 90% of materials entering its waste management complex is diverted away from landfills.
Of the total volume, around 300,000 tonnes is directed to waste-to-energy, while the remainder is recycled through other recovery streams.
BEEAH’s Sharjah waste-to-energy plant generates 30 megawatts of electricity, which is fed into the grid to power homes and industries and will continue to do so for the next 20 years.
Looking ahead, Rabaya said the company has set clear recovery targets.
By 2026, BEEAH aims to return 2 million tonnes of recyclable material back into the economy.
As of 2025, it has already reintegrated about 1.6 million tonnes.
