A contract has been signed between DHL Global Forwarding and TotalEnergies that will see a solar energy project take shape across eight of DHL’s sites in Dubai. The project will produce over 14,000MWh of electricity per year, which is said to be enough energy to power over 16,000 homes yearly in the UAE.
According to a statement, the project will see DHL’s various sites equipped with solar solutions, in addition to eight electrical vehicle charging stations. With this, DHL Global Forwarding contributes to the group’s goal of electrifying 60% of its fleet by 2030. The move is said to be a continuation of the firms’ Strategic Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 2019.
As per the terms of the deal, TotalEnergies will solarise eight of DHL’s sites in Dubai to cover the equivalent of over 46,000sqm of photovoltaic panels. The solar system will save more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 in the first year and complements Deutsche Post DHL Group’s sustainability roadmap, to achieve zero-emissions logistics from 2050 onwards, the statement said.
“With an annual average of 8.7 hours of sunshine per day, Dubai has a clear advantage in terms of solar energy. I am all the more pleased that we can use this asset to advance our sustainability goals further. With TotalEnergies, we have a partner at our side, not only to drive forward the use of alternative fuels but also to optimise our overall energy consumption. In this way, we are going step by step to achieve our ambitious target to reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero by the year 2050,” said Amadou Diallo, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa.
Hamady Sy, managing director at TotalEnergies Renewables Distributed Generation Middle East and Africa noted, “We are delighted to support DHL Global Forwarding with their green initiatives in the UAE of which solar will play an important part, and look forward to helping them reducing their carbon footprint in the region and beyond.”
The statement noted that not only will the solar system produce more sustainable energy, but the programme also includes that 85% of the solar modules are recycled. Furthermore, they are produced exclusively in Landfill Free certified factories. All this contributes to making the entire product cycle more sustainable and saves more than 150,000 tonnes of CO2 over the contract duration.
