Energy Efficiency & Resource Management a necessity for companies in a carbon-aware era, says ENOC chief

Energy Efficiency & Resource Management (EE&RM) should be an integral part of every organisation in an era that is increasingly becoming carbon aware, said Saif Al Falasi, the ENOC Group CEO, and Chairman of the E&RM Steering Committee at a seminar held for key Dubai Government stakeholders and ENOC business units.

The company organised a full day seminar to share the findings and lessons learnt from its inaugural Energy & Efficiency report which underlines the initiatives undertaken by ENOC Group to promote world-class EE&RM practices as well as complementing the UAE government policy of promoting the judicious use of energy resources.

The full-day seminar, attended by representatives of several Dubai Government departments and key ENOC stakeholders, was held at the Al Bustan Rotana hotel on 17 December. Over 50 ENOC staff and 30 external partners and stakeholders learnt how energy efficiency and sustainability can be achieved as represented by ENOC’s efforts over the last seven years.

Saif Al Falasi, said: “Having adopted a scientific Efficiency & Resource Management Policy and manual in 2008, ahead of the launch of ISO 50001, ENOC’s approach is aligned with the goals of the Dubai Integrated Energy (DIES) Strategy, which are to reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030 and to diversify the Emirate’s energy mix.

“To this end, we have not only been focusing on increasing our energy efficiency but we have also rolled out ambitious initiatives to reduce the company’s carbon footprint in addition to innovative solutions to enhance our products including the opening of Middle East’s first green service station and the use of cleaner, greener compressed natural gas as an alternative automotive fuel. An E&RM policy is now part of the Group’s strategic map.”

The financial impact of ENOC’s quick wins efforts has been encouraging. A meagre investment of AED 600,000 has yielded in savings of almost three times that amount. In terms of business plans, the expected annual savings is US$6.9 million, with a payback period of two short years.

Al Falasi went on to explain how accountability is critical for organisations in order to have intelligent business plans for efficiency in place. He referred to ENOC’s ‘Balanced Scorecard’ methodology for deploying its strategic direction, communicating expectations and measuring progress towards an agreed set of objectives. Through this ENOC has taken energy and resource management to the highest level.

Al Falasi further explained: “The five-year plan for E&RM projects is an extensive investment blueprint that outlines anticipated savings and a projected payback period. In order to achieve this, all ENOC business units identify where, when, why and how much energy and resources are used in all their activities. The business units also measure, monitor, analyse and benchmark E&RM use in all areas of operations in order to determine the savings potential and improvements in working efficiency, while monitoring the company’s overall energy performance index.”

The savings were across several aspects such as how electricity and fuel conservation is managed in addition to waste water treatment, waste segregation and recycling and efficient lighting.                                                                                                                 

Dr. Eng. Waddah Ghanem, Executive Director, EHSSQ and Corporate Affairs ENOC Group and Chairman of the E&RM Technical Committee said: “ENOC is at the fore-front of integrating international energy and resource management best practices through all aspect of our operations. We have also identified smart KPIs to achieve our energy and resource management goals through cost-effective methodologies. This initiative is a testament of our commitment to remaining a responsible corporate citizen while we continue to expand our geographic footprint.”

The seminar also served as the ideal platform in awarding the ENOC businesses and individuals who contributed to make energy and resource management a success. Various award categories were distributed depending on a number of different factors which included the ‘Most innovative efforts and initiatives taken for energy and resource conservation’, ‘Energy and Resource Management Business Plan for the Year’, ‘Energy and Resource Conservation Team of the Year’, among others.

A team building exercise was also conducted during the post lunch session for all the members of ENOC E&RM steering and technical committees to build trust, increase collaboration and ensure effective communication.

As part of ENOC’s commitment towards conserving energy and resources and using shared transport, an eco-friendly bus was arranged for exclusive use of ENOC E&RM steering and technical committees’ members from ENOC Complex to the venue of the event. The same bus brought back the members at the end of the day. Saif Al Falasi, the ENOC Group CEO was heading the members.