DHL and TotalEnergies to develop solar project in Dubai

DHL Global Forwarding, a leading provider of air, ocean and road freight services, and French energy major TotalEnergies have signed a contract for a solar energy project to produce over 14,000MWh of electricity per year in Dubai.

The whole solar system will produce enough energy to power over 16,000 homes yearly in the UAE. In addition to supplying the sites with solar power eight electrical vehicle charging stations will also be installed. With this, DHL Global Forwarding contributes to the Group's goal of electrifying 60% of its fleet by 2030.

The move is in continuation with the companies’ Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed in 2019. TotalEnergies will solarise eight of DHL’s sites in Dubai to cover the equivalent of over 46,000 sq m of photovoltaic panels. The solar system will save more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 the first year. The project complements Deutsche Post DHL Group’s sustainability roadmap to achieve zero-emissions logistics from 2050 onwards.

“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,” said Amadou Diallo, CEO DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa.

“With TotalEnergies, we have a partner at our side, not only to drive forward the use of alternative fuels but also to optimize 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.”

Hamady Sy, Managing Director at TotalEnergies Renewables Distributed Generation Middle East and Africa, said: “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.”

Not only does 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.

In keeping with its policy of “burn less – burn clean”, DHL Global Forwarding is consistently optimizing the carbon efficiency of its transport network, its fleet and its real estate. In order to achieve its sustainability goals, Deutsche Post DHL Group is investing €7 billion in climate-neutral logistics solutions through 2030, by which point at least 30 percent of its fuel needs should be met by sustainable fuels.

Source: Zawya