Amazon’s First MENA Renewable Energy Project Kicks Off in the UAE
Amazon’s DXB3 solar rooftop in Dubai South is estimated to shrink CO2 emissions by 2,500 tonnes each year.
Amazon has announced the first step on its sustainability roadmap across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as part of its global commitment to sustainability.
The company has inaugurated its first on-site renewable energy project in MENA – a solar rooftop at Amazon’s largest fulfilment centre in the UAE, DXB3.
The 5,565-panel rooftop will generate on-site solar energy to power 60% of DXB3’s energy demands – the highest permitted capacity in the UAE.
The project is estimated to save 4.6 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually. This is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 2,500 tonnes each year, equivalent to planting more than 40,000 tree seedlings.
Following DXB3 in the UAE, two more facilities in Saudi Arabia and Egypt are scheduled to be online by 2022.
Amazon’s MENA operations are working hard in support of The Climate Pledge – a commitment to be net-zero carbon across all its businesses by 2040.
Co-founded by Amazon in 2019, The Climate Pledge calls on signatories to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early, through regular reporting, carbon elimination and credible offsets. To date, more than 100 organisations have signed the Pledge.
Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon MENA said, “We are proud to be operating in countries that have a heightened consciousness of the impact of climate change on future generations.
As we embark on the path to a low carbon economy a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement, I call on businesses in MENA to join us as signatories to The Climate Pledge.
“By agreeing to decarbonise on a faster time horizon, we will play a critical role in stimulating innovation, policies and investment that will help tackle the climate crisis in our communities, our countries and our region.”
“Carbon neutrality is at the core of the Paris Agreement,” said His Excellency Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
The UAE is working with its partners in the private sector to help them recognise that mainstreaming climate-friendly business models and carbon footprint reduction into their future growth plans is not only an environmental imperative but also makes sound business sense, explained Al Nuaimi.
“We add our voice to Amazon’s call for businesses to step up to the challenge and take The Climate Pledge that aims to contribute to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
We congratulate the company on the inauguration of its first solar rooftop in the UAE, and its steadfast commitment to sustainability.”
Amazon’s MENA sustainability roadmap is geared towards the global vision to be net-zero carbon by 2040.
The company has made ambitious commitments towards reaching this goal, including the deployment of carbon reduction strategies at every stage of the operations process – from the time an item is picked off the shelf in a fulfilment centre, to the materials used to pack the item, and the transportation network that gets the package to the customer’s door.
In MENA, Amazon is building more sustainable operations and will establish metrics to evaluate progress and identify areas for improvement.
Source: itp
