South Energy has signed an agreement with HCT Technical Services, for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of a 2MWp photovoltaic (PV) system for five of Dubai South’s facilities.

This will meet at least 40% of its electricity needs, once finished.

The agreement will power the Dubai South HQ and four freight complexes. The project is also South Energy’s first lease solar rooftop initiative which it will finance at zero upfront cost for Dubai South, manage the EPC and operate the solar plant for an ideal lifespan of 20 years.

The Letter of Agreement (LOA) was signed between Ismail Al Marzooqi, CEO of South Energy, and Unni Krishnan, CEO of HCT & HCC Group, in the presence of high-level executives from both the companies.

Al Marzooqi said: “We are proud to have initiated this project as another major step forward in Dubai South’s efforts to build a sustainable urban community in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to meet 7% of Dubai energy requirements from clean energy by 2020 and increase it to 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050.”

According to the statement, the solar plant can cover from 40% up to 100% of the facilities’ electricity consumption, which when achieved can cut 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. South Energy is continuously working on boosting its solar activities in Dubai with another 3.5MWp project under tender and a promising more than 40MWp in the planning stage, it added.

Commenting on the LOA, Giridhar Dikshit, GM of HCT said that they commend Dubai South for taking the necessary steps towards energy sustainability and that HCT will be providing all the necessary requirements to fulfill the project on time.