Dewa, Nestlé Middle East open 10GWh Shams Dubai solar plant
28,000 PV panels fitted across three Nestlé sites in Al Maha to eliminate six million kg of CO2 each year.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Nestlé Middle East have inaugurated the UAE’s largest ground-mounted private solar plant, featuring 28,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels across three of the latter’s manufacturing sites in Al Maha to generate 10GWh of electricity per year, eliminating six million kg of annual CO2 emissions.
The largest site at Al Maha features 20,000 PV panels generating 7.2GWh of electricity, and the overall facility is part of Dewa’s Shams Dubai initiative, which encourages building owners to install PV panels to connect them to the authority’s grid.
Since its launch in 2014, Shams Dubai has seen 1,348 solar systems connected to the electricity grid in Dubai, with a total capacity of 117MW.
The project was launched in the presence of Dewa managing director and chief executive officer, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer; executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, HE Khalifa Al Zaffin; executive vice president of Nestlé SA and chief executive officer of its Europe, Middle East, and North Africa operation, Marco Settembri; and Nestlé Middle East’s chairman and CEO, Yves Manghardt.
Commenting on the project, Al Tayer said: “This is a real example of the positive effect of collaboration between the public and private sectors in renewable and clean energy, which will have a positive net effect on the environment as a whole locally and internationally.
“I appreciate Nestlé’s close collaboration with Dewa to add to the achievements of the Shams Dubai initiative that we launched in support of the Smart Dubai initiative, announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world.”
Settembri added: “The solar plant in Dubai is an important contribution to Nestlé’s global ambition to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We are embracing the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.”
Source : constructionweekonline
