In the presence of several ministers and the Ambassador of France to Egypt
- Drawing from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the hub is showcasing Schneider Electric’s latest solutions in sustainability and management of future sustainable cities
Sharm El Sheikh: Schneider Electric announced the official inauguration of its Sustainability Hub in Sharm El Sheikh on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, in the presence of Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment on behalf of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly The Egyptian Prime Minister; Lieutenant-General Kamel El Wazir, Transport Minister; General Hisham Amna, Minister of Local Development; Major General Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai; Eng. Khaled Abbas, Chairman of the New Administrative Capital for Urban Development; Marc Baréty; Ambassador of France to Egypt; Gwenaelle Avice-Huet, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Schneider Electric;. Walid Sheta, Zone President, Schneider Electric Middle East & Africa; Sebastien Riez, Cluster President of Schneider Electric Northeast Africa & Levant; and Sherif Abdelfattah, Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Schneider Electric Egypt and Northeast Africa. The Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub is the result of the partnership with South Sinai Governorate, which also witnessed a number of green initiatives launched between both parties in the field of digital transformation and energy management that contribute into transforming Sharm El-Sheikh to the first Green City in Egypt.
Commenting on the inauguration, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, said “The inauguration of Schneider Electric’s Sustainability Hub showcases the strong ties between Egypt and France on whether a governmental level or the partnership between public and private sectors. This was demonstrated in the joint meeting between H.E. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron during the financing session as well as in previous bilateral meetings. The Egyptian Presidency decided to call this COP round “The Round of Implementation” gathering the efforts of the government, experts, academics, NGOs, private sector, youth, and women under the slogan “Together for Implementation” to combat climate change. This Hub acts as a model for the role and responsibility of the private sector to promote education and raise awareness to contribute in the fight against climate change.”
For his part, Lieutenant-General Kamel El Wazir, Transport Minister, lauded the ongoing collaboration between the Egyptian Government and the French companies operating in Egypt and the size of joint projects in the transportation sector. He explained that the ministry has an expansion plan in green transport through mass transportation lines, ports, railways and other means to help reduce CO2 emissions and preserve the environment. He praised the solutions offered by Schneider Electric in the field of smart sustainable transportation that are showcased at the Sustainability Hub.
Major General Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai, stated that hosting this advanced hub at Sharm El Sheikh - and at such an important time in line with COP27 - is of great significance. “Transforming Sharm El Sheikh into a green city through Schneider Electric's innovative products and advanced solutions reflects the importance of public-private partnerships in accelerating the implementation of the country’s sustainability plans and reducing the carbon footprint of cities.”.
Eng. Khaled Abbas, Chairman of the New Administrative Capital for Urban Development said “The Government District in the New Administrative Capital secures 30% of its energy needs from solar power which makes it a model for a sustainable city. He added, “We are proud that many leading companies participating in COP27 consider the New Administrative Capital as a real integrated model for sustainability.”
In his speech, Marc Baréty, Ambassador of France to Egypt, praised the strong ties between Egypt and France expressing his honor to participate at COP27 and the inauguration of Schneider Electric’s Sustainability Hub as one of the biggest French companies in the technology field. He explained “Schneider Electric is always keen to support sustainability across all countries where it operates including Egypt. The company has joined forces with South Sinai Governorate to build this Hub which embodies sustainability values and solutions and acts as an example of effective cooperation toward fighting climate change. The two sides also launched several initiatives such as expanding solar energy, and supplying clean energy sources to local communities to name a few.”
Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub spans an area of 2,000 sqm in the heart of Central Park in Sharm El Sheikh. Through the Hub, Schneider Electric is showcasing state-of-the-art digital solutions and projects that address climate, environment and social needs. Drawing from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Hub also seeks to highlight the potential for social and environmental change around the world through Schneider Electric's sustainable solutions for resources, energy, and infrastructure management, among other key drivers for sustainable cities.
For his part, Eng. Walid Sheta, Zone President, Middle East & Africa, Schneider Electric said, “The inauguration of Schneider Electric’s Sustainability Hub today reflects the depth of our relations with the Egyptian government, and speaks volumes about the company’s global, regional and local leadership in advocating for sustainability and carbon neutrality. Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub encapsulates the company’s philosophy and sustainability vision which is a main operational driver and the bedrock of all the innovative solutions we provide to our customers around the world. The Hub plays an even more significant role as we inaugurate it amid the most important climate summit in the world; giving us a valuable opportunity to showcase our latest solutions to world leaders and participating delegations from different countries around the world.”
Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub seeks to contribute to meeting 4 main goals, namely; shedding the light on the UN’s SDGs and climate actions aimed at mitigating global warming, raising awareness of Schneider Electric’s sustainability activities, exhibiting and showcasing the company’s latest innovations in sustainability, and encouraging those interested in sustainability issues to create partnerships and initiatives, as a collective effort to put forth practical measures to deal with environmental and climate issues by harnessing the potential of technology and science.
Sebastien Riez, Cluster President of Schneider Electric Northeast Africa & Levant, commented on the announcement saying, “Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub is the fruit of our cooperation with South Sinai Governorate. This is only the latest in a series of initiatives that we are carrying out with the governorate to transform Sharm El Sheikh into a regional model for sustainability and green cities in the region. We are proud of providing the latest sustainability solutions and technological innovations through this hub to boost Sharm El Sheikh’s regional stance as an exemplary model in sustainability and we will continue to implement other important initiatives in Sharm El Sheikh following the conference.”
Riez went on to say that sustainability solutions have become an indispensable tool to achieve operational efficiency, conserve natural resources - especially energy - and manage facilities, buildings and cities, in order to ensure the highest rates of operational availability and raise the efficiency of productive assets usage among others.
Sherif Abdelfattah, Vice President of Government Affairs, Schneider Electric Egypt and Northeast Africa, stressed the hub’s eventful schedule, saying: “Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub includes interactive activities and panel discussion sessions, in addition to a specialized team to address different inquiries. The hub also acts as a business platform for meetings and roundtable discussions between Schneider Electric and potential business partners, among other activities. The solutions featured within the hub are some of the most important sustainability-driven solutions that aim to address environmental issues and climate change.”
Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub includes six sections built on the company's six long-term commitments which are set to deliver its sustainability goals and reflect the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These commitments are: to act for a climate-positive world; to be efficient with resources; to live up to its principles of trust; to create equal opportunities; to harness the power of all generations, and to empower local communities.
As part of Schneider Electric’s role in contributing to the transformation of Sharm El-Sheikh into the first green city in Egypt, and supporting the government’s fast-paced endeavors to stand against pollution and reduce carbon emissions, providing EVlink chargers for electric cars. The initiative also comes in line with the Ministry of Electricity’s announcement of implementing its plan to connect electric current to car charging stations in the city.
Over the past 6 years, Schneider Electric carried out several projects pivoting around sustainability in Sharm El Sheikh, on top of which is the first 5-megawatt solar power plant in Sharm El Sheikh, a project to extract water using solar energy for irrigation and drinking purposes in Wadi Silva, Ras Sedr, as well as the installation of a system to extract water from wells with solar energy in Ramla village in the governorate.
