Fully automated OMEGA DC Warehouse in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) will be equipped with 2.6 megawatts of solar rooftop power.

Landmark Group, a leading retail and hospitality conglomerate in the Middle East and India, has signed a 2.6 megawatt-peak solar agreement with Yellow Door Energy, a UAE-based sustainable energy provider, and AMANA Investments, a renowned design-build construction company.

As the first joint venture between Yellow Door Energy and AMANA Investments, the solar agreement will bring clean energy to Landmark Group’s state-of-the-art, fully automated 1-billion-dirham OMEGA DC Warehouse in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) in Dubai, UAE.

Over 6,000 solar panels will be installed to generate 4,200 megawatt-hours of clean energy annually, equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 1,700 tonnes or removing 380 cars from the road. Construction is expected to start in late 2020 and the solar plant is expected to be completed by the spring of 2021.

Rajesh Garg, Group CFO of Landmark Group, said: “Sustainability and innovation are at the core of our business. We strongly believe that what is good for the environment is good for the business too. This solar agreement with Yellow Door Energy and AMANA Investments enables us to switch to clean energy, and expand our solar ambition, which in turn helps us become more cost-competitive and innovative as a business.”

Mihin Shah, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Landmark Group, said, “We continue on our path of solar expansion with this agreement and it reaffirms our commitment towards sustainability. This solar installation will be very befitting to our fully automated OMEGA DC, which is already a certified ‘Green’ distribution center and through this partnership we will advance the energy efficiency to benefit not only our own business but also the customers to whom we are offering third party logistics services.

Jeremy Crane, CEO and Co-Founder of Yellow Door Energy, said: “We congratulate Landmark Group on this solar agreement that will help it achieve its sustainable energy goals. As a developer with over 110 megawatts of solar projects in the region, Yellow Door Energy is proud to include Landmark Group in our growing list of premier customers. Working with AMANA Investments, we encourage businesses in JAFZA to consider solar as a viable option to reduce costs and save the environment. As a UAE-based company, Yellow Door Energy is honored to contribute to DEWA’s Shams Dubai Program and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050.”

Riad Bsaibes, President & CEO of AMANA Investments, said: “Our relationship with the Landmark Group over the years has been one that we are especially proud of, resulting in the construction of numerous facilities for the Group across the region. Today, we are proud to extend, in cooperation with Yellow Door Energy, another service to Landmark enabling the Group to reduce its cost of power in the same facility that we constructed 2 years ago. We look forward to working with Landmark to further reduce their energy costs and consumption in this facility and others across the region.”

Yellow Door Energy and AMANA Investments are responsible for investing in, designing, building, commissioning, operating and maintaining the solar plant for the duration of the agreement. Solar developments are gaining popularity among industrial building owners who want to reduce energy costs. This can be done without any upfront investment or operational risk, while maintaining the focus on their core business and enjoying the benefits of clean energy.