Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
BEEAH Group, a public-private organisation pioneering a sustainable quality of life through a diverse range of businesses, views Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2025 as a major platform to advance both waste management and sustainable energy production.
Speaking to Aletihad, Daker El Rabaya, CEO, Waste Processing, Treatment & Disposal at BEEAH, said the group actively participates in ADSW each year with a focus on waste-to-energy and sustainability initiatives.
The company has the highest landfill diversion rate in the Middle East and is implementing an integrated waste management approach, building clusters or green industrial areas to treat all the types of waste
BEEAH launched the first waste-to-energy facility, producing 30 megawatts of electricity from residual waste, in Sharjah.
In addition, they are currently in the engineering phase of a solar park that will utilise landfill surface for solar energy production.
Commenting on the ongoing initiatives and upcoming projects, El Rabaya said: "We are building a solar farm that will produce more than 120 megawatts of electricity. And we are now in the engineering phase. The second thing is, as you know, BEEAH is not only about waste anymore. We have already started the studies for a medical city that will have more than 260 beds; it will more than just a hospital, it will a medical city with a lot of research facilities. There are numerous possibilities to integrate artificial intelligence into the medical processes."
He said that the company also plans to build a sustainable city in Sharjah, focusing on waste management and recycling plastics.
They are finalising a feasibility study for an EV battery cluster, focusing on the battery's full lifecycle. In addition, they are planning a data centre powered by green energy, marking the first initiative in the country.
El Rabaya noted that BEEAH has established numerous joint ventures with regional and international companies, including in Saudi Arabia, India, Jordan and Egypt.
They have built advanced hazardous waste facilities with Polygreen in Greece, achieving zero hazardous waste to landfill in 2024.
As part of BEEAH's community engagement efforts, El Rabaya said they launched the education vertical BEEAH Education, which has grown to become engaged with more than 200 schools.
As their online curriculum is available for access, they actively engage with Sharjah schools, hosting over 50 annual visits to showcase their work and encourage community collaboration on waste management solutions.
Furthermore, BEEAH is aligning with UAE's sustainability goals, working on carbon capture and CO2 emission reductions in waste-to-energy processes to achieve the country's sustainability visions.
"We are working on two projects for plastic credits and carbon credits for our recycling facilities. The implementation of the solar farm is one of the main milestones that will make a big difference for BEEAH when it comes to carbon emissions because it will offset a lot of carbon production for the electricity that we consume," El Rabaya noted.
