Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre (Tadweer) annonced in a statement that it has signed a Joint Project Development Agreement (JPDA) with Etihad Airways to facilitate the development of the first Waste-to-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (WtF) plant in the Middle East Region on the occasion of Dubai Air Show 2021.
Upon completion, the plant will have the potential to transform up to 4 million tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) every year into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), according to a press release issued on Monday.
The SAF produced from the WtF plant in Abu Dhabi would be compliant to International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) standards for decarbonisation of the aviation sector. The plant will help Abu Dhabi to divert 75 percent of municipal waste away from landfills.
The Waste-to-SAF plant is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 1 million tonnes annually – equivalent to the removal of more than 200,000 cars from the road.
The proposed WtF plant would be developed through joint procurement by Tadweer and Etihad Airways.
Etihad airways would be entering into a long-term SAF offtake agreement and Tadweer as the provider of feedstock waste under a long-term waste supply agreement. Private sector participants would be invited to submit proposals to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the facilities, which will use advanced commercially proven technology to convert municipal solid waste into Sustainable Aviation Fuel, statement mentioned.