Dubai South, the integrated city being built around the largest airport in the making and home to Expo 2020 Dubai, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Etihad Esco to provide advisory council on energy efficiency and environmental initiatives.

Dubai South said its sustainable strategy is firmly aligned with Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and is on track to becoming a global role model in renewable energy, and green economy technologies.

The MoU will ensure that Etihad Esco provides advisory and implementation services to support Dubai South’s energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability initiatives, as well as implement the adoption of Dubai Green Building Regulations across the city, said Khalifa Al Zaffin, the executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South after signing the deal with Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and chief executive of Dewa and chairman of Etihad Esco at the ongoing Wetex 2016 in Dubai.

Shaikh Ahmad bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the president of Dubai Civil Aviation and chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, also attended the signing ceremony.

Dubai South’s presence at Wetex 2016 reinforces its comprehensive vision for a sustainable future by securing alternative energy sources, using energy efficiently, meeting its environmental and sustainability goals, and ultimately creating the roadmap for clean energy and green economy globally, stated Al Zaffin.

"It is aimed at supporting our vision of becoming a sustainable innovative city. We aim to achieve this through holistic sustainability balancing social, environmental and economic considerations enabling our businesses to thrive, communities to grow and residents to be happy," he said.

"Our ultimate goal is for Dubai South to be a world-class sustainable city that provides residents and workers with the highest quality of life together with the lowest environmental footprint," he added.

Reflecting Dubai South’s commitment to establishing a sustainable model in energy conservation, it has pledged to eventually source over 15 per cent of its total energy demand through renewable sources. In its final phase, it is estimated that Dubai South, including Al Maktoum International Airport, will need over 5 gigawatts watts of power.

Dubai South is also fully committed to implementing renewable energy solutions and strictly adheres to the Green Building Regulation Codes and is set to embark on a robust programme of sustainable projects through the Dubai South Sustainable Committee, said Al Zaffin.

In terms of infrastructure sustainability, Dubai South has been monitoring carbon emissions since 2009 and has established centralised district cooling plants, as well as a self-sustained sewage treatment centre where the effluent water is used for landscaping and irrigation, also all the internal streetlights are LED (light emitting diode) and solar powered, he added.-TradeArabia News Service