ADNEC Group

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

ADNEC Group, a leading international venues operator has embarked on a transformative sustainability journey to reduce its absolute emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2045. To add¬¬ress the dual challenges of potentially escalating energy costs and an annual consumption of around 28 million kWh at its flagship Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi), the organisation launched a 5 MWp rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) project.

Driven by increasing client demand for “green” event spaces and a vision to serve as a sustainability leader in the UAE, ADNEC Group adopted a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model that secures clean, cost-stable power for 15 years, without a burdensome upfront capital expenditure. This innovative solution shifts performance risks to the solar provider while ensuring ADNEC Group achieves significant operational savings and lowers Scope 2 emissions.

Despite regulatory constraints on net metering in Abu Dhabi, the project team designed a system sized precisely to ADNEC Centre’s consumption patterns, thereby maximizing self-consumption of generated solar energy. Once fully commissioned, the installation is anticipated to reduce the venue’s carbon footprint by 6,000 metric tonnes annually, roughly equivalent to powering 1,250 homes for a year.

Beyond benefiting ADNEC Group, the initiative aims to catalyse widespread decarbonization in the region’s events industry and communities. By facilitating open collaboration with stakeholders, from government authorities to major exhibition clients, ADNEC Group is proving that large-scale venues can remain at the forefront of international business gatherings while also championing meaningful, measurable climate action. This project now stands as a core pillar of ADNEC Group’s broader sustainability strategy, reinforcing its leadership role among global conference destinations.