SUSTAINABILITY-

Bee’ah + Sharjah to boost sustainable residential practices: Waste management firm Bee’ah has partnered with Sharjah Sustainable City — which is being developed by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority and Diamond Developers — to improve waste management solutions in the city, according to a press release from Tuesday. Sharjah Sustainable City will launch a pilot platform for testing new Bee’ah-backed technologies, while Bee’ah will design educational and training programs on sustainable waste management. The pair will also collaborate on research, smart transition tech, biogas operations, and sustainability events.

REMEMBER- Bee’ah is building a new commercial and industrial recycling facility in Sharjah, which utilizes a robotics and AI system to automatically detect, identify and separate different kinds of waste. The facility can process 156k tons of mixed recyclables annually once it is fully operational.

RENEWABLES-

EU, Germany to back Algeria’s energy transition: Algeria has launched the EUR 28 mn TaqatHy+ initiative to scale up renewable energy deployment and kickstart a green hydrogen economy, according to a statement on Monday. The program — to be implemented by GIZ under the supervision of the Energy Ministry — is co-funded by the EU and Germany’s BMZ, with the latter contributing EUR 18 mn coming from the German side.The program is set to run through May 2029 and will focus on boosting renewables’ capacity and enabling favorable conditions for project implementation and green hydrogen economy development. The project will also support the development of tools to monitor and evaluate energy efficiency measures, APS reported on Monday.

GREEN MANUFACTURING-

Plastic manufacturer Emirates Biotech appointed Samsung E&A as the sole contractor for its upcoming polylactic acid (PLA) production plant, according to a press release issued on Monday. Samsung E&A will handle the facility's engineering, procurement, and construction and will integrate proprietary equipment from technology provider Sulzer. The plant will be located in Abu Dhabi’s Kezad.

What we know: The USD 800 mn plant will be built in two phases, each with 80k ton annual capacity. The facility would replace the equivalent of 3.2 bn plastic bottles and reduce 300k tons of CO2 emissions annually. The plant will use technology from Swiss company Sulzer to produce, purify, and polymerize lactide. Production is slated to kick off in early 2028. The company plans to make PLA in the UAE and export the product to India, Turkey, and Europe.

SOUND SMART- PLA a biopolymer made from plants that absorbs CO2, making it a more sustainable material than other plastics, according to the company’s website. It can be used for appliances, electronics, packaging, food service ware, 3D printing, and textiles. It is recyclable and compostable, breaking down into natural elements without leaving microplastics behind.

MINING-

Amak forms consortium to bid for Nuqrah VMS Belt mining license: Saudi-based Almasane Alkobra Mining (Amak) signed an agreement with Asas Mining and Arab Mining - Fujairah to form a consortium to make a joint bid for KSA’s Nuqrah VMS Belt exploration license in Round 9 of mining bids, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul on Sunday. The license covers the study, development, and exploitation of copper, zinc, gold, silver, and lead across 355 sq km in the Madinah, Hail, and Qassim regions.

What’s next: The parties plan to establish a joint venture once the license and regulatory approval are secured, with Asas Mining holding 60% and Amak and Arab Mining Company Fujairah holding 20% each. The agreement remains in effect until the tender is awarded, and will terminate if the bid is unsuccessful or upon formation of the JV. No investment size or timeline was disclosed.

BACKGROUND- Amak snapped up multiple exploration licenses last year. They include a five-year chromium, copper, nickel, and manganese exploration license in Al Baha Province secured in December and a five-year quartz exploration license in Najran and Asir secured in August. The firm also landed two exploration licenses in June worth a total of SAR 92 mn, covering Jabal Qaran and Al Hijra, which hold reserves of gold, copper, lead, and zinc.

EVs-

#1- Lucid bags some assets from bankrupt Nikola: PIF-backed luxury EV maker Lucid is acquiring key facilities and assets from Nikola Corp in Arizona, following the hydrogen truckmaker’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction, according to a press release issued last week. The agreement does not include any of Nikola’s core business components — no customer lists, intellectual property, or hydrogen fuel cell tech. No investment ticket has been disclosed for the acquisition.

What’s in the bag? The company acquired the 400k+ sq ft Coolidge manufacturing plant and the Phoenix site that previously served as Nikola’s HQ and R&D center. Together, the facilities will add more than 884K sq ft to Lucid’s existing operations in Arizona. Also included in the acquisition is a broad suite of equipment — battery and environmental testing chambers, machining tools, and a full-size chassis dynamometer.

Lucid looks comfortable in Arizona: Back in 2019, the company broke ground on its Advanced Manufacturing Plant - 1 in Casa Grande, Arizona — the first ground-up EV plant in North America. In early 2024, Lucid expanded its Arizona plant to support the launch of its Gravity SUV and future models. Lucid has said it was planning to invest more than USD 700 mn in the plant to reach a 400k-vehicle production capacity annually by 2028.

REMEMBER: Green trucking has suffered a streak of failures: Four hydrogen trucking startups, including Nikola, have gone bust in the past six months, as tepid demand, high hydrogen prices, and lackluster infrastructure continue to weigh down the industry

#2- KSA-based Green Watt to receive 1.6k EUVs from Tempo e-LV: The Netherlands-based, VivoPower subsidiary Tembo e-LV will supply 1.6k electric utility vehicles (EUVs) to Saudi energy and environmental solutions provider Green Watt under a USD 85 mn agreement, according to a press release issued last week. Green Watt will be responsible for distributing the vehicles across Saudi Arabia over the next five years.

SOUND SMART- An EUV is an electric vehicle used by different industries to transport goods or personnel over short to medium distances. It offers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional vehicles, as its design suits rugged terrains.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Tadweer + SFECO explore green building materials production: Abu Dhabi Waste Management (Tadweer Group) signed an agreement with China’s SFECO Group to explore developing a facility to convert industrial solid waste into sustainable building materials in Abu Dhabi. The pair will form a joint working committee to determine the project’s feasibility and set a framework for each’s possible involvement. (Wam)
  • Qatar Airways goes in on SAF in Australia: Qatar Airways has partnered with Virgin Australia and Renewable Development Australia to develop a Sustainable Aviation Fuel production facility in North Queensland with a 96-mn-liter annual capacity. The plant will convert bioethanol from sugarcane into 100% SAF using technology from Australian EPC company KBR to supply nearby airports. (Press release)
  • Morocco opens green energy access to medium-voltage clients: Morocco’s Electricity and Drinking Water National Office has begun supplying renewable electricity to medium-voltage clients for the first time. Around 60 GWh of green electricity has already been marketed by private producers connected to the national grid to MV clients, including Tanger Med Utilitie in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Saint Gobain in the Kenitra freezone, and Managem at two Ouarzazate sites. (Statement)
  • EVIQ + Zeekr partner on EV charging: Saudi Arabia’s EVIQ has partnered with EV maker Zeekr through its KSA representative Walan Trading to expand charging stations in collaboration with local partners and explore customized charging solutions for Zeekr customers. (Press release)
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