Waste-to-Energy Facility, Maldives: Setting National and Regional Standards

Appointed as the Owner’s Engineer, Ramboll is supporting the major Spanish waste management company Urbaser in delivering the Maldives’ first Waste-to-Energy (WtE) facility. The design-build-operate contract is financed by the Ministry of Environment of the Maldives alongside grants from the Asian Development Bank and Japan Fund for Joint Development Mechanism. Urbaser will be responsible for building and operating the facility for the duration of 15 years, with Ramboll supporting the EPC contractor in key areas including design review, environment and social assessment, process equipment inspection and onsite inspections during the construction and commissioning phases.

Constructing the facility in Thilafushi, a neighbouring island to the capital Malé, brings various challenges. Due to the island’s small size, almost all project needs – from construction machinery and materials to process equipment and workers – has to be shipped in, highlighting the importance of thorough and diligent logistics planning. Through our long collaboration with Urbaser in delivering WtE facilities, these and other issues can be successfully managed, demonstrating the benefits and strength of partnering in driving green transition.

A Sustainable Tourist Destination

The new Waste-to-Energy facility will be a significant step in building the Maldives as a sustainable tourist destination. Once operational in 2025, the facility will divert around 200,000 tonnes of waste from landfills yearly, generating 100,000 MWh of renewable energy and reducing the CO2 emissions by 200,000 tonnes equivalent to the emissions from 40,000 cars.