WASTE-TO-HYDROGEN-

Timeline updates on MENA’s first waste-to-hydrogen plant: UAE’s Bee’ah, partnering with the Energy and Infrastructure Ministry, UK-based Chinook Hydrogen, and Japan’s Air Water, is planning to launch operations of the region’s first commercial-scale waste-to-hydrogen plant in 2Q 2027, according to a statement. The plant will initially produce 7 kgs of green hydrogen fuel daily — about 2.6k tons annually — with plans to boost the capacity to 20 tons daily later, Wam reported on Tuesday. No financial details were disclosed for the project.

About the facility: The facility — located in Sharjah’s Al Sajaa — will turn municipal organic and solid waste into fuel-cell-grade hydrogen using Chinook’s RODECS gasification technology and Air Water’s hydrogen refinement systems. The plant will also divert thousands of tons of waste annually, cutting emissions by 30k tons while producing by-products like biogenic carbon dioxide for alternative fuels and nitrogen for industrial use.

DECARBONIZATION-

Adnoc pilots new tech to capture and utilize its emissions: UAE’s Adnoc Gas, British climate tech company Levidian, and American energy tech firm Baker Hughes have deployed Levidian’s patented carbon capture LOOP technology at Adnoc’s Habshan Gas Processing Plant, according to a statement (pdf). The tech captures carbon from methane — the main component of natural gas — and converts it into graphene and clean hydrogen.

About the project: Adnoc plans to produce over one ton annually of graphene and hydrogen each during the pilot phase, with further plans to scale up to 15 tons per year. It also plans to use the graphene produced for diverse applications, including producing EV batteries, solar panels, and stronger materials like concrete, tires, and polymer pipes. The partnership plans to use AI models and digital twins from the project to optimize graphene production and energy efficiency in future installations.

UAE is a fan: The Gulf country and Levidian signed a memorandum of intent for a potential USD 100 mn investment in a LOOP tech manufacturing facility. The Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer) is also a fan of Levidian, exploring its tech for various decarbonization ventures.

DEBT WATCH-

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has greenlit a EUR 25 mn loan to Türkiye’s BNP Paribas Finansal Kiralama bank, according to a statement released last Friday. The loan is aimed at supporting gender-responsive on-lending in Turkey, targeting sub-borrowers with projects in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate resilience. The initiative also aims to improve women’s access to climate finance through addressing barriers women face in adopting green technologies.

INVESTMENT WATCH-

#1- GFH invests in Invenergy: Bahrain-based Islamic investment bank GFH Financial Group has invested an undisclosed amount in the US clean energy firm Invenergy through investment vehicles managed by Blackstone’s infrastructure group, according to a press release (pdf) published last Sunday. Invenergy’s portfolio includes over 200 projects and 33 GW of generating capacity in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

#2- Catalyst, the region’s first sustainability tech startup accelerator, unveiled three direct investments at the World Future Energy Summit, Wam reported on Tuesday. The latest investments target climate-focused startups AED Energy, Batsand, and Solumar, offering solutions in energy storage, emissions capture, and waste management. Catalyst also selected 10 startups from Egypt and UAE to join its recently launched tenth accelerator program cohort, set to begin in 1Q 2025 in partnership with Egypt’s Flat6Labs.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES-

#1- Amman Vision seeks investments in EV charging stations: Jordan’s Amman Vision for Investment and Development — the investment arm of the Greater Amman Municipality — has called for investments to establish and operate EV charging stations and the associated service facilities, state news agency Petra reported last Sunday. Inquiries are accepted until 26 January and proposals are due by 9 February.

#2- Dubai’s first flying taxi vertiport gets design approval: The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has given its approval for the designs for the UAE’s first commercial vertiport for flying taxis, Dubai International Vertiport (DXV), paving the way for operations to begin in 2026, Skyports said in a statement released last week. DXV, located near Dubai International Airport (DXB), will serve as a hub for the takeoff, landing, and servicing of air taxis, and is the first of four vertiports planned in Dubai to receive design approval.

The details: The 3.1k sqm facility, developed by Skyports Infrastructure in collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Joby Aviation, will feature electric charging stations and passenger facilities, and is expected to handle 42k landings and 170k passengers annually, Khaleej Times reported last week.

#3- UAEV plans 10k EV chargers by 2030: UAE’s state-owned EV charging network UAEV plans to install 500 EV chargers by 2025 and to expand this to 10k chargers by 2030, and 30k by 2050, undersecretary of UAE’s Energy and Infrastructure Ministry and Chairman of UAEV told CNBC Arabia last week (watch, runtime 4:57). The UAE is the second highest in the Middle East for EV usage, with EVs accounting for 13% of total car sales in 2023. The UAE has already installed over 100 EV chargers in 2024, he added.

RECYCLING-

Kuwait is working on expanding construction waste recycling capacity: Kuwait’s government has given the green light to the Kuwait Municipality to develop several plants for recycling and processing construction waste with local and foreign private partners, according to a document seen by Al Qabas last week. Currently, Kuwait’s two plants can handle only a total of 4k-5k tons daily, far below the average daily of over 14k+ tons generated daily.

Plans are already underway: The Municipality allocated 1.25 mn sqm of land for the projects including a 1 mn sqm area in northern Kuwait for solid waste recycling and a 250k sqm area in southern Kuwait for liquid waste recycling. It also issued a consultancy services tender for feasibility studies on new waste treatment facilities.

HYDROGEN-

Enowa + HRS to set up hydrogen refueling in Neom: France’s Hydrogen RefuelingSolutions (HRS) and Neom’s energy and water company Enowa have installed their first hydrogen refueling station in Neom, according to a press release (pdf) from last week. The station — to be housed at Petromin’s Heavy Machinery & Truck Service Center — would service a variety of hydrogen-powered vehicles, including buses, trucks, and passenger cars with tanks operating at different pressure points, mainly 350 and 700 bars.

About HRS: HRS is a leading manufacturer of high-capacity hydrogen refueling stations that operates the industrial process from design to commissioning to maintenance, according to the company’s website. The company develops stations that have a hydrogen compression capacity of 14, 40, and 80 kgs per hour, with a targeted compression capacity of 150 kgs per hour by 2026. It also boasts the capacity to assemble up to 180 stations per year.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS WEEK-

  • Polat + Rolls-Royce ink energy storage agreement: Turkey’s Polat Energy signed a supply agreement with Rollys-Royce for a 132 MWh capacity Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The BESS will be integrated into the Goktepe wind power plant located in northwestern Turkey. (Statement)
  • Misr Beni Suef Cement will build an EGP 298 mn solar plant, in a bid to increase its use of renewables and cut emissions from its industrial activities. The company tapped Chinese tech giant Huawei and solar manufacturer Jinko Solar, as well as the local renewables company Integrated Renewable & Sustainable Communities for the project. (Disclosure. pdf)
  • EV Tech + GO TO-U partner on EV charging in Oman: Omani Sur International Investment Group subsidiary EV Tech Oman has partnered with GO TO-U to provide smart EV charging in the Sultanate. The partnership will utilize EV Tech’s market knowledge and GO TO-U’s smart chagrin software to expand EV adoption in Oman. (Oman Observer)
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