The amount of waste GCC countries generate will hit 130mn tons this year, an average 10.7%/year increase over 2009-14, according to US-based consultancy Frost & Sullivan. Yet waste-to-energy (WTE) is an embryonic market, with only 250-300GWh a year of electricity being produced from waste in the GCC at present. Qatar is the first GCC country to implement WTE on a large scale, with a 50MW plant. However, GCC WTE capacity could reach 300-500MW by 2020.
Frost & Sullivan MENA industry manager Kumar Ramesh told January’s Ecowaste conference in Abu Dhabi that the GCC WTE has “immense potential owing to the high waste generation per capita and high population growth. A well-managed WTE mechanism can reduce up to 90% of the waste going to landfill.” With the UAE and Saudi Arabia also announcing major waste management plans, “this growth trend is likely to attract more WTE technology providers to the region.” (CONTINUED - 285 WORDS)
