RIYADH: Ultra-luxury resort destination AMAALA is on track to become fully powered by solar energy following a partnership between developer Red Sea Global and French utility company EDF, along with the UAE's clean energy major, Masdar.
The agreement, a 25-year concession, focuses on a multi-utility infrastructure facility to serve the tourist destination, according to a press release.
The newly established facility has an optimized off-grid renewable energy system that generates energy through photovoltaic technology. This setup also includes a battery energy storage solution, ensuring a sustainable 24/7 power supply for the desalination and wastewater treatment plants.
“Sustainability is a cornerstone of AMAALA, and our new partnership with EDF and Masdar will drive us toward achieving a zero-carbon footprint once fully operational,” said RSG Group CEO John Pagano in a press statement.
According to RSG’s statement, AMAALA’s renewable supply system has the capacity to generate up to 410,000 megawatt hour per annum, which is enough to power 10,000 households for an entire year.
The system includes a 700 MWh battery storage facility, which ensures AMAALA will be powered by renewables, day and night. There will also be a water desalination plant that uses reverse osmosis technology and has a capacity of 37 million liters of water per day.
The contract was structured as an independent public-private partnership, encompassing the design, construction, and operation of utility systems, along with the accompanying networks and infrastructure.
“With more than 90 percent of its electricity production decarbonized, the EDF group is pursuing its ambition to contribute to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Our objective is to continue to be a key player in the development of innovative, fully resilient, and net-zero electrical systems,” Béatrice Buffon, group executive vice president in charge of EDF’s international division said.
He added that this project will set new standards of execution and operation for EDF and the Kingdom.
For his part, Mohamed Jameel Al-Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, said: “For this fully integrated utility project in partnership with Red Sea Global and EDF, we have brought together a suite of innovative solutions and technologies including solar, battery storage and desalination.”
He added that this is a unique project that will help drive sustainable economic development to the “beautiful tourism destination” of AMAALA.
RSG stated that its utility concession agreement with EDF and Masdar has an initial 25-year term with the option to extend. The agreement covers financing, engineering, development, construction, operation, maintenance, and transfer of a multi-utility infrastructure facility.
Furthermore, while this deal helps AMAALA achieve its net-zero ambitions, the destination will go beyond sustainability to have a regenerative impact on the environment. The goal is to deliver a 30 percent net conservation benefit to local ecosystems by 2040.
“This will be achieved by enhancing biologically diverse habitats including mangroves, seagrass, corals and land vegetation that help biodiversity to flourish while contributing to carbon sequestration efforts too,” RSG further added.
