Dubai, UAE: In an official communiqué, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) said that H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice-Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) and Chairman of Etihad Energy Service Company (ESCO), signed an Energy Performance Contract with H.E. Essa Kazim, Governor of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), to replace 28,500 of DIFC’s traditional light bulbs with LED lights. The signing, the communiqué added, was attended by Arif Amiri, CEO of Dubai International Financial Centre Authority, Saleh Al Akrabi, CEO of DIFC Property Management, Waleed Salman, Vice Chairman of Etihad ESCO, Stephane Le Gentil, CEO of Etihad ESCO and Ali Al Jassim, COO of Etihad ESCO.
The communiqué revealed that DIFC will replace internal and external light bulbs, and street lights with LED lights, in order improve energy efficiency and sustainability. It added that as per the contract, DIFC will achieve 72% in annual savings over six years.
The initiative, the utility said, supports the UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by increasing the use of clean energy, the Dubai Plan 2021 to transform Dubai into a city with a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, while enhancing its position as an international hub for energy efficiency.
Claiming that DIFC is the first financial free zone in the UAE to conduct such a major transformation of lighting system infrastructure, DEWA said that the financial centre holds an international position and includes over 1,445 registered companies, with a workforce of 19,808 employees, due to triple by 2024.
“The signing of the contract,” said Al Tayer, “supports the directives of our wise leaders to increase the use of clean and renewable energy, and the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to diversify the Emirate’s energy resources, and increase dependence on clean and renewable energy.”
Stating that the contract reflects DIFC’s commitment to Growth Strategy 2024 to enhance use of sustainable energy solutions, Kazim said, “To adhere to the Emirate’s objectives to adopt green energy solutions, our cooperation with Etihad ESCO aims to improve lighting infrastructure, making it more sustainable and efficient with energy consumption.”
