UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and Emirates RDF signed four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Fujairah Cement Industries, JSW Cement, Lafarge Emirates, and Star Cement to partially use alternative fuel produced by the Emirates RDF in the Umm Al Quwain emirate in their manufacturing operations.

Emirates RDF’s plant treats and transforms Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) from Umm Al Quwain and the emirate of Ajman into Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) to provide energy to power the operations of cement factories.

The ministry said in a statement that MoUs are part of its support for integrated waste management projects that treat waste and transform it into economic resources in line with the Ministerial Decree No. 98 of 2019 on using RDF in cement factories.

Cement plants in the UAE would be encouraged to meet 10 percent of their total energy needs from alternative fuels produced by MSW treatment, the statement said.

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The participation of the private sector is a main pillar of the UAE’s green economy transition and the adoption of circular economy methods, the foremost of which is integrated waste management.”

“The signing of the agreements with a group of leading cement factories in the country to partially use alternative fuel in their operations is a high-impact step within our efforts to implement integrated waste management and reduce harmful emissions.”