Companies are still waiting for news on Abu Dhabi’s planned 100MW waste-to-energy plant, after having first invited prequalification entries in April 2013.

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) received prequalification entries from 17 groups for the scheme in the second quarter of 2013, but has yet to confirm a list of prequalified bidders and issue tenders for the project.

MEED reported in November 2013 that Taqa was waiting to gain government approval for the scheme before it invites prequalified bidders to bid for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. The project is now significantly running behind schedule, with the energy firm originally having planned to award the main construction deal by the end of 2013.

The waste-to-energy power plant will receive about 1 million tonnes of municipal solid waste a year and convert it into 100MW of alternative energy, which will be enough to power more than 20,000 households in Abu Dhabi.

Taqa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre of Waste Management Abu Dhabi for the joint development of the facility in June 2012. The company will operate the plant and will finance the scheme through a combination of equity and commercial debt.

Taqa has appointed Denmark’s Ramboll Group to advise on engineering and the UK’s Atkins to advise on environmental permitting and waste characterisation. In March 2013, the energy firm announced that the UK’s HSBC had been selected as financial adviser, while the UK’s Linklaters has been appointed legal adviser.