ADNEC's expanded renewable energy partnership sets new standard for decarbonising event venues in Abu Dhabi

ADNEC Group has expanded its clean-energy partnership with Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), a move that specifically aims to bring 100 percent renewable grid power to ADNEC Centre Al Ain. Honestly, this development fuels the broader push by the venue operator to decarbonize its operations quite significantly.

According to ADNEC Group’s official statement, the Al Ain venue will now get all its electricity from EWEC’s renewable and low-carbon sources. What’s interesting here is that this electricity supply will be supported by International Renewable Energy Certificates, or I-RECs, issued by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy. These certificates serve as a sort of auditable proof that the energy being used is matched with renewable generation, which lends transparency and accountability to the process.

ADNEC framed this expansion as part of its long-term strategy to eliminate scope-2 emissions across its assets and to reach net-zero emissions by 2045. You see, the company already transitioned the ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi to a fully clean energy model back in late 2024. Since then, the Abu Dhabi venue has been operating entirely on renewable energy, hosting over 160 events that consumed more than 13,700 MWh, all with zero direct CO2 emissions from electricity generation. This achievement was validated when ADNEC earned its first I-REC, kind of a big deal for credibility.

EWEC’s CEO, Ahmed Ali Alshamsi, also touched on the extension. He mentioned that this move to cover Al Ain demonstrates a shared ambition to speed up the adoption of clean energy across Abu Dhabi’s different sectors and to set a benchmark for sustainable events within the emirate. It’s pretty interesting, right?

This collaboration between ADNEC and EWEC goes beyond just the two centers. It has significant implications for the entire industry, especially considering that the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (or MICE) sector doesn’t have many precedents for venues operating fully with renewables at grid scale. By securing I-RECs and making the energy volumes involved publicly known, the partners hope to offer a model that event organizers and corporate clients can follow, particularly those who are increasingly demanding truly credible carbon-neutral options for big gatherings.

Building on this, ADNEC’s wider sustainability efforts are quite extensive. Its 2024 ESG report highlights the group’s broader economic role in Abu Dhabi, contributing AED 8.57 billion to the emirate’s economy and supporting over 62,000 jobs across the UAE. The report also mentions numerous awards recognizing ADNEC’s sustainability efforts.

In fact, industry awards this year have echoed these successes. ADNEC took home four honors at the Gulf Sustainability Awards 2025, including top awards for best renewable energy use and best sustainable product. Additionally, the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Awards 2025 recognized ADNEC’s planned rooftop solar project, which they see as a key part of their net-zero plans.

This rooftop installation at the Abu Dhabi venue is expected to have an approximate capacity of 5 MWp. The company believes that once it’s up and running, it will significantly reduce grid electricity demand and prevent over 6,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Interestingly enough, this solar plan is designed to dovetail with the EWEC supply, minimizing on-site demand while the grid contract ensures continued renewable matching for residual consumption.

All of these steps tackle two common hurdles faced by venue operators aiming to decarbonize. First, many large-scale event spaces simply can’t produce enough onsite renewable energy to meet their power needs yet. And second, clients and regulators are increasingly insisting that claims of renewable energy use are transparent and verifiable. Utilizing I-RECs and similar schemes not only provides clear accounting but also helps venues reduce their reliance on grid electricity, which can be more emissions-intensive.

Experts in the regional clean-energy field note that corporate offtakes, certificate schemes, and onsite solar are rapidly becoming less of an exception and more of a standard toolkit for decarbonization efforts in the Gulf. As per statements from EWEC and ADNEC, the idea is to show how these tools, when combined, can serve a high-demand service sector like events, which often have concentrated energy needs.

Furthermore, this announcement highlights the important role played by public agencies in supporting private decarbonization. Issuance of I-RECs by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy is a practical move that enables venue operators to credibly claim renewable energy usage. Meanwhile, EWEC’s role as a centralized provider of renewable power offers economies of scale that would be difficult for individual venues to reach on their own.

For event organizers and those involved in climate tech, the expanded ADNEC–EWEC partnership sends a clear message: clients can now choose venues powered entirely or largely by renewable electricity, an attractive proposition both for reputation and compliance reasons. For technology providers, the combination of onsite solar projects and certified renewable procurement signals an ongoing demand for solar PV systems, energy management tools, and carbon accounting services.

ADNEC reports that all its UAE venues are now powered by clean energy. They host over 500 events each year, pretty sizeable, right? The group’s strategy is to couple onsite renewable projects with offsite procurement and certified energy attributes, with an ambitious goal to cut emissions by half by 2030, progressing toward full net zero by 2045.

Of course, the entire story isn’t without its challenges. Organizers still have to contend with emissions from travel, catering, materials, and other event-related factors, which often make up a large part of an event’s carbon footprint. As laid out in their ESG reports, ADNEC’s approach combines energy decarbonization with efforts around waste management, circular services, and supplier engagement to tackle these other sources of emissions.

By extending clean power to the Al Ain center, ADNEC and EWEC are, in effect, showcasing a visible example of operational decarbonization in the region’s events industry. The partnership’s blend of certificate-backed renewable procurement and on-site solar , if it catches on elsewhere , could really help the UAE’s venues sector cut emissions while still hosting major events that boost the economy.