RENEWABLE ENERGY
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INTERVIEW
Bringing positive change DAVID AURIAU, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF POSITIVE ZERO, SHARES INSIGHTS ON THE COMPANY’S PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS LIKE BLACKROCK, DP WORLD AND AL JALILA FOUNDATION, THE CHALLENGES OF REGIONAL EXPANSION, AND THE FUTURE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE REGION BY NEESHA SALIAN
Tell us about your partnership with BlackRock and how that has boosted growth and expansion.
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BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager and, as we announced in December, through a diversified infrastructure fund, it is investing up to $400m. BlackRock has a strong track record and experience in energy and power infrastructure investments, as well as strong ties with the region over many years, so it was a boost for Positive Zero, underlining the strength of our decarbonisation model and strategic approach. We have expanded our remit regionally, including several partnerships in Saudi Arabia to develop and finance commercial 40
November 2024
and industrial solar power solutions, a new renewable energy project with the Royal University for Women Bahrain, and our latest announcement to provide an endto-end sustainability roadmap for Al Jalila Foundation. Ultimately, leaders within the region are aligned towards net-zero targets and we are well-positioned to deliver the solutions required across many sectors. How do Positive Zero’s end-to-end sustainability solutions support clients in building a clean energy future?
Firstly, we help businesses understand how they can decarbonise their operations to cut emissions, meet sustainability targets and crucially cut operating costs. Our
approach encompasses solutions from our three verticals, including generation, efficiency and mobility. For generation, we help many commercial and industrial operations to generate their own power through our distributed solar company SirajPower. We are the largest provider of decentralised solar infrastructure in the Middle East, operating across more than 700 facilities. For efficiency, improving energy consumption within any business is paramount, so we help to monitor and track energy usage across facilities and assets. From this, we can make intelligent decisions, with realtime data, to plan and optimise energy management and potentially upgrade or retrofit assets. Positive Zero’s business Taka gulfbusiness.com