Renewable energy company Masdar is to establish a joint venture with infrastructure advisory and development firm Tribe Infrastructure Group.
With plans to develop a number of utility-scale energy from waste projects across Australia, the new joint venture will aim to provide solutions for some of the 27 million tonnes of waste landfilled each year in Australia.
The announcement was made by the Honorable Christopher Pyne, Former Australian Defence Minister, and His Excellency Abdullah Al Subousi, UAE Ambassador to Australia, alongside Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and Tribe CEO Peter McCreanor during the inauguration of the Australia-United Arab Emirates Business Council in Sydney, Australia.
“Tribe and Masdar have the distinction of being the first companies to ink contracts that actively engage in business activity in Australia as part of the Australia UAE Business Council,” said Hon Pyne. “Australia and UAE have very strong connections, and the joint venture agreement between Masdar and Tribe for turning waste into energy is only the beginning of the relationship that the two companies will have across Australia.”
In January 2020, Masdar and Tribe announced that they had acquired a 40% stake in the East Rockingham Waste to Energy project in Perth, Western Australia. Construction on the A$511 million greenfield facility is ongoing and the plant is expected to be operational in late 2022.
The facility is planned to recover approximately 70,000 TPA of bottom ash, to be processed for use in roadbase and other construction materials, and will reportedly generate 29 megawatts of baseload renewable energy - enough to power more than 36,000 homes and displace more than 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
Masdar CEO Al Ramahi commented: “The Australian energy from waste sector provides excellent potential in the long-term. The signing of this agreement is a reflection of Masdar’s global clean energy ambitions and will further support Australia’s roadmap towards a low-carbon future.
“We are pleased to be strengthening our partnership with Tribe and we look forward to leveraging our local and international experience and world-leading expertise to advance the energy from waste sector in Australia, following our entry into the market earlier this year.”
Opal Australian Paper and SUEZ Australia and New Zealand announced in October 2020 that Masdar and Tribe have joined them as additional equity partners for the development of the Maryvale EfW facility in Victoria. The project aims to divert approximately 325,000 tonnes of non-recyclable residual waste from landfill and reuse it for the generation of steam and electricity, replacing natural gas and coal fired electricity. Aligned with Victoria’s circular economy policy, the project is expected to deliver ‘significant’ reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Tribe’s McCreanor said that Tribe were delighted to announce the long-term partnership, adding: “Energy from waste is safe, reliable and affordable and we’re pleased to be at the forefront of bringing this technology to Australia. We look forward to delivering sustainable waste management solutions that provide superior environmental outcomes and make sound economic sense.”
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