UAE retailer Lulu Group taps solar at new Dubai Silicon Oasis facility
UAE hypermarket retailer inks solar deal with SirajPower in sustainability push
Dubai: The hypermarket operator Lulu is partnering SirajPower on a solar initiative aimed at meeting ‘green’ milestones. SirajPower - a solar energy provider - will build, finance and operate, a 1 mega-watt peak solar carport installation and four electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for Lulu’s new Dubai Silicon Central Hypermarket.
“We have already achieved the LEED Platinum certification for Lulu Group’s international and regional headquarters,” said Salim M.A., Director of Lulu Group International. “Our focus also remains in building malls that are environmentally friendly in the future.”
The solar carport project covers 7,209 square metres and will produce 1.7 gigawatt hours of clean energy annually. This will help offset more than 1,205 metric tons of CO2 emissions equivalent to nearly 20,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. Laurent Longuet, CEO at SirajPower, said, “The FMCG industry has been a catalyst for positive change through the accelerated emphasis on the importance of sustainability initiatives. In the UAE, we see many businesses looking for solutions to significantly reduce their carbon footprints.”
Lulu's Silicon Central
The LuLu Group-owned new retail destination at Dubai Silicon Oasis - ‘Silicon Central’, targets the rapidly expanding resident base within and outside the DSO, estimated at around 500,000 people.
The hypermarket will be “populated” by plants, water, and natural light, recreating an oasis in the city and befitting DSO’s status as the ‘first eco sustainable district in Dubai’.