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UK firm to build world’s largest energy-from-waste plant in UAE

Chinook Sciences, a company based in Nottingham, has won a $504m contract to build the world’s largest thermal energy-from-waste facility in the Sharjah emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company was awarded the deal by a local environmental and waste management company called Bee’ah.

The scheme is currently in the early stages of construction and is due to be completed by the end of 2015. When the second phase is finished, the plant will process 480,000 tonnes of waste and recycling residues annually, from which it will recover metal and generate electricity.

The plant will use a combination of gasification and pyrolysis to generate more than 80 MWh, which is enough electricity to power more than 150,000 homes.

The contract is expected to create about 200 British jobs and secure another 650, Trade Minister Lord Livingston announced. About half of the new jobs will be in the east Midlands.

Rifat Chalabi, Chinook Sciences’ chief executive, said: "The Sharjah project is a major milestone for us as it means we are now building the world’s largest household waste gasification plant in partnership with one of the most visionary companies in the sector." 

Bee’ah is based in the northern emirate of Sharjah. Historically, the five northern members of the UAE have suffered from under-development relative to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but are now enjoying much higher economic growth rates.

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