Al Ghusais landfill generates first electricity

Dubai: Homes are one step closer to using an alternative source of electricity as the first megawatt was generated at the Al Ghusais landfill on Monday night.

This is the first time in the Middle East that landfill gas has been converted to generate electricity through the flaring of methane, which is also in line with Dubai Municipality’s vision to generate 20MW of power from landfill gas by 2020.

“With Dubai’s bid to host the World Expo 2020 going full steam ahead, we are further highlighting our leadership in creating innovative solutions for the future through the project. This 2020 project is set to produce 20MW of power by the turn of the decade,” said Eng Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality.

“The project also complements the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 to explore alternative energy sources that will reduce the demand on the existing power grid, while protecting the environment,” explained Lootah.

According to recent statistics, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (Dewa) peak generation capacity increased to 6,637 MW in 2012 from the 6,206 MW capacity of 2011.

The Al Ghusais Landfill site adopts the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) initiative, which is registered with the United Nations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Through implementing the CDM project, the municipality aims to reduce methane emissions, which is expected to remove 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the air.

“This environmentally-friendly project involves turning methane gas into electricity, and this is the first stage of transferring the electricity to feed the plant and the landfill from 500 cubic metres of methane gas into one megawatt,” said Eng Abdul Majeed Saifaie, director of waste management department at Dubai Municipality.

He further noted future plans involve collaborating with Dewa to launch a number of projects that can be used in homes and hybrid cars.

The Al Ghusais Landfill site is spread over an area of about 3.5 square kilometres and has been receiving municipal solid waste since 1978. It is one of the largest sites for municipal waste collection in Dubai, which receives about 5,000 tonnes of waste a day, and with the decomposition of municipal waste, the landfill site emits approximately 55 per cent of methane and 45 per cent of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.