Sustainability
Al Ain Plant-Based Bottle Company: Agthia Group
Country: U.A.E.
In February 2020, Abu Dhabi-based Agthia Group announced that it will be producing the region’s first plant-based water bottle for its Al Ain bottled water brand. The bottle, including the cap, is made of 100% environmentally friendly material from plant sources without using petroleum or its by-products, thereby lowering its CO2 footprint. The product will be biodegradable and compostable within 80 days. Agthia says that the manufacturing process consumes 60% less energy and achieves more than 50% savings on non-renewable energy.
Al Dhafra solar photovoltaic (PV) independent power producer (IPP)
Company: TAQA, Masdar, EDF Renewables, JinkoPower Country: U.A.E. With a capacity of two gigawatts and a cost of $1 billion, the Abu Dhabi-based Al Dhafra Solar PV IPP project will be one of the largest single-site solar power plants in the world once it is operational. It will use around four million solar panels to generate enough electricity for approximately 160,000 homes across the U.A.E., and it will supply power to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company. When fully operational, it is expected to reduce Abu Dhabi’s CO2 emissions by more than 2.4 million metric tons per year, which is equivalent to removing approximately 470,000 cars from the streets. TAQA will own 40% of the project, while Masdar, EDF Renewables, and JinkoPower will own 20% each.
Al Reyadah
Company: ADNOC Country: U.A.E.
Al Reyadah is the first commercial-scale Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) facility in the region and the first fully commercial CO2 facility for the iron and steel industry worldwide. It was founded as a joint venture between Masdar and ADNOC in 2016, with the latter taking full ownership in 2018. Al Reyadah aims to eliminate CO2 emissions equivalent to the amount produced by 170,000 automobiles. It captures up to 800,000 tons of CO2 from the emirates steel industries annually to inject into the Rumaitha and Bab onshore oil fields to boost oil recovery. ADNOC’s 2030 Sustainability Strategy aims to expand its CCUS scale to the equivalent of a forest area twice the size of the U.A.E. F O R B E S M I D D L E E A S T.C O M
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10 Sustainable Projects And Initiatives In MENA
OCTOBER 2021
