Egypt teaming up with Orascom, Belgian Besix to build waste-to-fuel plant

Egypt’s New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) has signed on Tuesday a preliminary deal with Orascom Construction and Belgian Besix Group to establish a waste-to-energy plant in Western Cairo.

A waste-to-energy plant is a waste management facility that combusts wastes to produce electricity. This type of plants is called a trash-to-energy, municipal waste incineration, energy recovery, or resource recovery plant.

NUCA’s affairs sector vice president Mazen Hassan has signed the memo with Besix’s general manger Philippe Dessoy and Orascom’s chief executive Maged Abadir in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Housing Asem El-Gazzar.

The public-private partnership (PPP) flagship will produce a fuel used to power cement plants in Sixth of October and Sheikh Zayed cities, Asem El-Gazzar said.

“The cooperation protocol (MoU) includes the implementation of a waste recycling station in Sixth of October and Sheikh Zayed,” El-Gazzar said.

Orascom is responsible for collecting and recycling wastes as well as selling fuel to cement plants, in return for a 10 percent share obtained by the ministry, he added.