Dubai: Mr. Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has revealed some exceptionally encouraging facts about the Authority’s energy efficiency and energy consumption for last year.
Mr. Al Tayer shared that RTA achieved the targeted energy efficiency performance indicators for 2021 and reduced total energy consumption in all operations and projects by 18 percent, when compared with the average consumption from 2016 to 2019.
The RTA Director-General also shared that the Authority also managed to decrease the total emissions by 13 percent and energy costs by 10 percent during the same period.
Sustainability is a key pillar of RTA’s strategic goals and objectives, and the concept of sustainability has become deeply rooted in RTA’s corporate performance. Protecting the environment, optimizing the use of energy, reducing carbon emissions, and ensuring assets sustainability have become priorities. RTA has a well-defined roadmap that aims to achieve zero-emission from public transport in Dubai by 2050. In the process, RTA is becoming the first government entity in the Middle East and North Africa to develop an integrated roadmap targeting public transport and its infrastructure.
Mr. Mattar Al Tayer remarked about commitment to energy efficiency and consumption.
The RTA official further added that, “As compared to the average in the years from 2016 to 2019, RTA Energy Analysis Report 2021 showed a decrease in the total energy consumption by 18 percent, and gasoline consumption by 36 percent. This drop is attributed to the increased use of hybrid and electric taxis by Dubai Taxi Corporation, along with a 15 percent decrease in diesel consumption, despite an increase in the public bus fleet.”
“RTA has carried out a process to upgrade its old fleet of buses to replace them with modern buses equipped with eco-friendly Euro 6 engines compatible with the European specifications for carbon emissions. The report also indicated an increase in electricity consumption by 11 percent, as a result of the operation of the 15-kilometre Dubai Metro Route 2020, which includes seven stations,” Mr. Al Tayer pointed out.
INITIATIVES BY RTA
Elaborating on RTA’s savings on all fronts, the RTA Director-General highlighted that the Authority, “has implemented 36 energy and green economy initiatives in 2021, resulting in record savings of AED 85 million, 68 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, 55 million gallons of water, 21 million liters of gasoline, 1.8 million liters of diesel, and a reduction of approximately 86 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. It also diverted about 450,000 tons of waste from landfill through effective waste management practices.”
“RTA has accomplished over 95 percent of green economy initiatives and projects, and future directions are guided by a range of factors, including soft and shared mobility, sustainable transport, circular economy, self-driving vehicles for passengers and goods, and developing services based on customer needs and future skills,” Mr. Al Tayer concluded.
DUBAI METRO ROUTE 2020 PROJECT
2021 witnessed the formal inauguration of the Dubai Metro Route 2020 Project, which serves densely populated districts inhabited by 270,000 inhabitants .
The path of the route was based on several perimeters namely the anticipated number of riders in each station, commercial activities around, and the link with other public transit means at each station such as buses, which contributes to Dubai’s sustainable growth.
OTHER PROJECTS IN 2021
Numerous road and bridge projects were also commissioned last year, particularly roads spanning 138 lane-kilometers with 9 flyovers to serve Expo 2020 Dubai.
RTA also opened model public bus stations, pedestrian bridges, and cycling tracks to transform Dubai into a bicycle-friendly city, which entails the provision of suitable options to encourage people to practice cycling.