The French consortium EDF (Eléctricité de France) and ENGIE have been chosen by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) to execute Phase 2 of the Road Lighting LED project.
For the project's public-private partnership (PPP) delivery in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, EDF and ENGIE have established a 50/50 joint company named Nojoom.
As a component of the larger Abu Dhabi Road Lighting Programme, the project entails financing, supplying, installing, operating and maintaining 133,473 energy-efficient LED luminaires throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Over the course of the 12-year concession period, it will save a substantial amount of electricity, nearly 2,400 million kWh which is the equivalent of a reduction of around 74% in power use.
"The conclusion of the second phase of the LED road lighting tender demonstrates the strength of Abu Dhabi's PPP framework and our commitment to support partnerships between the public and private sectors to deliver strategic infrastructure projects," stated Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, Acting DG, ADIO.
"The partnership agreement with DMT will deliver significant energy reductions across the emirate's road lighting infrastructure, building on the success of the first phase and making an important contribution to the UAE's ambitious sustainability goals."
"I look forward to seeing the project progress and reviewing the energy savings resulting from energy-efficient LED street lighting," stated Salem Al Kaabi, DG, Operational Affairs, DMT.
The project's implementation will enable us to satisfy the highest road safety standards because of the public-private sector's effective teamwork. We will also be able to raise the standard of living for people who visit and reside in these places.
"Our team will keep working with all parties as we proceed with this important project for Abu Dhabi."
The project was acquired in compliance with the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy, the Partnership Projects Guidebook and the PPP Law of Abu Dhabi.
Following an exhaustive three-phase assessment of the bids made by pre-qualified bidders, EDF and ENGIE inked a collaboration agreement with DMT.
In order to guarantee the highest levels of efficiency and sustainability, the consortium that was chosen provided the best technical solution and will execute the project over the course of five phases that will cover smaller geographic zones around Abu Dhabi.
"This strategic partnership between EDF, ENGIE and DMT for delivering sustainable street lighting solutions, aims to improve the quality, performance and resilience of the lighting infrastructure in Abu Dhabi," stated Luc Koechlin, Managing Director and CEO of EDF Middle East.
"With this project, EDF supports the UAE in meeting its energy efficiency targets set out in the Net-Zero by 2050 initiative by bringing its long-standing expertise and know-how in smart city solutions."
"The Abu Dhabi lighting project is a template for future delivery of regional infrastructure projects," stated Ian Harfield, Managing Director of ENGIE Energy Solutions.
The approach that combines design, finance, installation and operations provides communities with substantial benefits by removing the requirement for capital expenditures, freeing up funds for other community development initiatives.
"The best standards of quality and delivery will be guaranteed by our regional and worldwide experience in infrastructure and energy. We anticipate more initiatives along these lines in the area and beyond.
As part of its mission to encourage private sector investment in the emirate, ADIO is the central government centre for Abu Dhabi, overseeing the development, procurement and facilitation of all infrastructure projects carried out in the emirate within a PPP framework.
DMT seeks to collaborate with the corporate sector in order to promote investment in Abu Dhabi. In order to assure integration and knowledge sharing, it collaborates with key partners to enable initiatives linked to its areas of competence.