The $115-million project added a 50,400-sq-m unit inside the existing plant that utilized a sludge-thickening reservoir, anaerobic digesters, gasometers and a cogeneration unit.

The project team, led by a consortium of Suez Group and the Arab Contractors, says the multiple nationalities of the team’s members allowed for the exchange of expertise and drove innovation, such as the first completely air-tight tanks of their kind to be built in Egypt. The completed project has reduced the quantity of sludge produced by 35% and has allowed the plant to achieve 60% to 70% self-sufficiency in energy generation.

Ahmed El-Adalany, a board of directors member for the Arab Contractors, says he hopes the project’s successful completion demonstrates the viability of resource recovery in Egypt and serves as “a catalyst for encouraging the Egyptian government to create similar units nationwide.”