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DEWA Joins Nestlé in Inauguration of UAE’s Largest Private Solar Plant

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Dubai, UAE
Inauguration of Ground-Mounted Private Solar Plant at Al-Maha Factory

In the presence of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), HE Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman-Dubai Aviation City Corporation & Dubai South, HE Massimo Baggi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE and Bahrain, Dr. Franco Vigliotti, Project Head and Dean of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in the Middle East, Marco Settembri, Executive Vice President Nestlé S.A. and CEO Zone Europe, Middle East & North Africa, and Yves Manghardt, Nestlé Middle East Chairman and CEO, the UAE’s largest ground-mounted private solar plant was launched at Nestlé Middle East’s Al Maha factory in Dubai.

The plant entails installing nearly 28,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels at the company’s three manufacturing sites, that will generate 10GWh of electricity per year – eliminating at least six million kilograms of CO2 emissions annually, the equivalent of annual emissions from 1,500 passenger cars or the energy consumption of 800 homes*. The largest site at Al Maha will alone house 20,000 PV panels, generating 7.2GWh of electricity and eliminating 4.5 million kilograms of CO2 per year.

The solar plant is part of DEWA’s Shams initiative which encourages building owners to install PV panels and connect them to DEWA’s grid.

“I am pleased to be here again at the Nestlé Al Maha factory in Dubai South, to witness the harvest of cooperation on sustainability between DEWA and Nestlé. This is a real example of the positive effect of collaboration between the public and private sectors in renewable and clean energy, which will have a positive net effect on the environment as a whole locally and internationally,” said Al Tayer. “I appreciate Nestlé’s close collaboration with DEWA to add to the achievements of the Shams Dubai initiative that we launched in support of the Smart Dubai initiative, announced by HH Sheikh Mo-hammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world.Shams Du-bai has achieved remarkable success since its launch in 2014, with 1348 solar systems connected to the electricity grid so far, with a total capacity of 117MW.”

“Nestlé is committed to stewarding resources for future generations through caring for water, safeguarding the environment and acting on climate change. The solar plant in Dubai is an important contribution to Nestlé’s global ambition to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We are embracing the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement** to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C,” said Settembri.

“We are determined to continue to play a positive role in the Middle East and contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With our scale, and our actions, we can create positive impact in society, and be a force of good,” said Manghardt.

One third of Nestlé’s 413 factories in the world are already using 100% renewable electricity, and the company will continue to increase the use of energy from renewable sources. Nestlé Middle East has since 2010 achieved a 42% reduction in water withdrawal per ton of product, a 34% decrease in energy consumption, and 28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product, while its production went up by 68%. The company produces with zero waste for disposal at its food manufacturing sites in the region.

In addition, research and multi-sectoral partnerships are being developed to achieve the goal announced by Nestlé in 2018 to make 100% of the company’s packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025, with the objective that none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill or as litter. Recent examples include the creation of the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Science in Lausanne (Switzerland) to evaluate and develop new sustainable packaging material and solutions in collaboration with academia, suppliers, startups, and others.

The company has already defined category and product specific manufacturing roadmaps to ensure only recyclable or reusable packaging is used by 2025. Nestlé is also playing an active role in developing plastics collection, sorting and recycling schemes across the world, through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) actions that are contributing to industry coalitions that aim to create circular economies within countries, recycling and reusing in a manner that creates shared value for all involved. In the Middle East, Nestlé is partner of EPR Coalitions in Abu Dhabi and Jordan.

* https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
** The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, dealing with green house-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, signed in 2016.

About Nestlé Middle East

Nestlé Middle East’s heritage goes back over 80 years to 1934 when the first import operation was set up in Lebanon. Today, Nestlé Middle East owns and operates 18 factories and provides direct employment to more than 13,000 employees who are all committed to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing the quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. It also provides indirect employment to several thousand more.

The Nestlé portfolio in the region currently exceeds 60 innovative product brands in a wide range of categories: dairy products and infant nutrition, bottled water, chocolate and confectionery, coffee creamers, breakfast cereals, culinary products, health science, skin health, and Pet Care, among others. Nestlé Nido, Nestlé NAN, S-26, Progress, Maggi, Nescafé, Kit Kat, Coffeemate, Nestlé Cerelac, Nestlé Fitness, Nestlé Pure Life, Nespresso, Optifast and Cetaphil are just some of the brands available in the Middle East.

Nestlé Manufacturing in the UAE:

In addition to a Nestlé Waters factory, Nestlé Dubai Manufacturing in Techno Park currently produces confectionary and dairy products at two adjacent plants. The 530 Million Dirhams Al-Maha Factory opened in Dubai South in 2017 and produces coffee and culinary products.

For more on Nestlé Middle East activities, you can visit the following social media pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NestleMiddleeastNorthafrica
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NestleMe
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nestlemena
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NestleMiddleEast 
Website:www.nestle-me.com
Nestlé in Society report: www.nestle-me.com/en/csv

For more information, please contact:

Rainer Mueller
Communication Director, Nestlé Middle East
Email:[email protected]