The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates has signed a Concession Agreement with the shareholders of the Emirates RDF Company to develop and operate a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) facility in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain.

The Emirates RDF Company is a joint venture consisting of BESIX, Griffin Refineries and the local TechGroup (owned by the leaders of the Emirate of Ajman). The project will be developed under a public private partnership (PPP) scheme and is co-financed by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs.

The RDF facility will receive 1,000 tons per day of household waste from the Emirates of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. It will convert the waste of 550,000 residents from the two Emirates into an alternative energy source. This product, named Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), will be used in cement factories as a fuel. It will partially replace the traditional use of gas or coal. By implementing this project, approximately 90% of household waste will be diverted from landfill. 

Estimated to cost US$40 million, construction of the RDF facility will start in December 2018. The facility is expected to start operating in April 2020.