Blending Plant Operates on Solar Power

Emirates National Oil Co. announced the conversion of its blending plant in the United Arab Emirates to operate solely on solar energy, making it the first lubricant manufacturing plant in the country to do so.

The company installed more than 300 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of its Dubai Lubricant Processing Plant FZE in Jebel Ali, which covers approximately 300 square meters. Those panels will generate more than 160,000 kilowatt hours per year of electricity, Enoc stated, adding that the facility consumed 156,700 kwh/year in 2016.

The company plans to transmit excess electricity back to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority grid.

“Over the years, we focused on utilizing clean energy sources that will help reduce our dependence on fossil-fuel-generated electricity and minimize environmental impact,” Enoc CEO Saif Humaid Al Falasi said in a press release. “The installation of solar panels at DLPP makes it the first facility of its kind in the U.A.E., [to] generate clean energy on-site. This will further enhance the operational efficiency of the plant and help us achieve new benchmarks in resource management.”

The electricity savings provided by the solar panels is equivalent to powering at least seven residential houses in Dubai for a year, based on 2017 data.

The solar-powered facility is part of the company’s shift toward cleaner energy and is in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. The city aims to provide 7 percent of its energy needs through clean energy sources by 2020, 23 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2050. Enoc already operates nine solar-powered service stations throughout Dubai and plans to eventually power all service stations by solar energy.

“We are continuously looking for opportunities to contribute to the development of the country’s assets and key infrastructure projects, while aligning our strategic goals with the U.A.E.’s larger mandate aimed at diversifying the energy mix,” said Al Falasi.

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