Abu Dhabi awards contract for major LED street light project

More than 40,000 street lights are to be replaced as part of a energy-efficiency drive

Thousands of street lights are to be converted to LED lighting as part of an energy-efficiency scheme in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Abu Dhabi City Municipality

Abu Dhabi authorities are staying switched on to environmental concerns after stepping up plans to replace thousands of street lights as part of a major energy-efficiency drive.

Abu Dhabi City Municipality has awarded a contract to Tatweer for the installation of 43,000 LED lights across the emirate.

The eco-friendly project aims to deliver energy savings of about 900 million kilowatts - the equivalent of Dh264 million - over the course of the 12-year agreement.

It was not disclosed when the process of replacing the existing lighting will begin.

“Abu Dhabi has laid out a bold vision to achieve a sustainable future, and we will get there by taking incremental steps like converting to street lighting that is four times more efficient than what we have today,” said Saif Badr Al Qubaisi, director general of Abu Dhabi City Municipality.

“This long-term partnership with Tatweer will help us achieve greater project efficiencies, while delivering enhanced infrastructure and services to Abu Dhabi’s residents. It is part of our commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

Tatweer is a growing regional firm focused on engineering services and smart technology.

The tender is the first deal to be sealed by the Abu Dhabi Investments Office (ADIO) using its Dh10 billion public-private partnership (PPP) model to boost infrastructure investment in the emirate.

“As the focal point for facilitating public-private partnership projects in Abu Dhabi, we work with government departments to deliver infrastructure with an emphasis on sustainability, quality and opening up new opportunities for the private sector,” said Dr Tariq Bin Hendi, director general of ADIO.

“The LED street lighting tender is the first infrastructure project of its kind in Abu Dhabi to be delivered through the Partnership Projects framework and is the start of a new wave of government partnership opportunities for the private sector in the emirate.”