Humaidan: 15 Global Companies Compete to Establish Waste-to-Energy Facility

Engineer Shawqiya Humaidan, Assistant Undersecretary for Common Municipal Services at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, confirmed that the ministry has issued a tender for the construction of a waste-to-energy facility. Several international companies have submitted bids for the tender, and the proposals are currently being evaluated in preparation for issuing the implementation tender.

Eng. Humaidan explained that this important project supports the goals of the Kingdom of Bahrain and its 2030 Vision. It also reflects Bahrain’s commitments under COP26 to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2060, reduce environmental pollution, and promote more sustainable energy sources.

Humaidan noted that a tender for the qualification of contractors for the waste-to-energy facility project was issued on June 16, 2021, and its bids were opened on September 1 of the same year. The tender documents were purchased by 51 local and international companies, and bids were submitted by 15 global companies through the Tender Board. The submitted proposals are currently being evaluated by a specialized team from the ministry in collaboration with a consulting firm, in preparation for issuing the implementation tender to the companies that have been qualified according to the approved technical standards. The facility is expected to be completed and operational by 2027.

Humaidan emphasized that this project is part of a joint initiative between the public and private sectors, aimed at reducing costs and improving the quality of services provided. She highlighted that it forms part of the ministry’s strategic efforts to promote recycling and minimize waste, which is in line with the Government Action Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals.

She added that the ministry invited specialized companies in this technical field to participate in the prequalification process, aiming to build, operate, and manage a facility that will sort and separate recyclable waste and incinerate the remainder using environmentally friendly technology to generate energy, with a production capacity of up to 98 megawatts of electricity.

Humaidan explained that the ministry, through one of its specialized consulting firms, has studied and evaluated all relevant global technologies and projects in the field of waste-to-energy facilities. The assessment also took into account the volume and composition of waste generated in Bahrain.

Eng. Humaidan noted that the National Waste Management Strategy, prepared in 2018, focuses on recycling up to 90% of household waste that reaches the landfill, converting it into reusable materials through recycling, and turning the remaining waste into energy.

Humaidan further indicated that in 2021, the Askar landfill site received 1.65 million tons of waste. Of this, 560,000 tons of construction waste, were recycled for use in infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, 1.1 million tons of household and private commercial waste were landfilled, along with 725,248 tons of municipal waste and 375,300 tons of other types of waste.