The Business Year

Saeed Khoory

UAE, DUBAI - Energy & Mining

The Sustainable Path

Group CEO, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC)

Bio

Saeed Abdullah Khoory is the Chairman of the Board of various joint ventures and subsidiaries within the ENOC group. He is also an active member of the Supreme Council of Energy, a regulatory body that overlooks the development of the power and energy needs of Dubai. A graduate in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, Saeed Abdullah Khoory started his career with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). He is currently Group CEO of the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC).

What role does the company have in Dubai today? As a government-owned entity, ENOC has always focused on being a partner of the Emirate’s all-round development through a concerted strategy […]

What role does the company have in Dubai today?

As a government-owned entity, ENOC has always focused on being a partner of the Emirate’s all-round development through a concerted strategy that also reflects the vision of our leadership. Led by our core values of teamwork, integrity, transparency, respect, and customer focus, we have established our credentials as the energy partner behind every successful journey. Our transformational growth was achieved through our business diversification and geographic expansion, thus creating long-term value for our stakeholders. Today, ENOC’s roadmap for growth is to further strengthen our position as a leading regional integrated oil and gas group, highly profitable and socially responsible toward employees, the community and the environment. We will continue to achieve this through initiatives that build on the Government’s core developmental strategies. For example, Dubai has always placed an emphasis on diversifying its economy, with the non-oil sector contributing to nearly 95% of its GDP. Similarly, Dubai has shown wise leadership in promoting sustainable development and smart initiatives. ENOC’s strategy builds on these directives set by the Government. While we are at the forefront of providing conventional fuel we are also promoting renewable energy sources such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which is a greener and inexpensive alternative as an automotive fuel. As Dubai prepares to host Expo 2020, under the three key pillars of sustainability, mobility and opportunity, ENOC works to meet the development goals of the Government by accelerating our capital investment program to ensure the efficient execution of critical projects and building infrastructure to support the energy needs of the Emirate.

In light of the Government’s commitment to eco-friendly policies, what steps are being taken to successfully reduce Dubai’s carbon footprint?

In addition to recently introducing the ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, Euro 5, which will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, ENOC is a committed partner in Dubai’s efforts to promote sustainable development. We have also signed a Technical Services Agreement (TSA) with the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE) to effectively manage the carbon footprint of ENOC’s operations and to develop the competencies of ENOC’s staff in promoting Clean Development Mechanism projects. The TSA will assist us in developing a carbon footprint calculator and analysis strategy. ENOC’s subsidiary EMGAS is currently driving a CNG project in Dubai to complement the UAE Government’s strategy of safeguarding a healthy and clean environment and reducing pollution. CNG is set to become the UAE’s preferred alternative fuel of choice for government vehicles, and ENOC is working with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to introduce CNG in public transport to reduce environmental pollution. One of ENOC’s pioneering sustainability initiatives was the opening of the first green service station in the Middle East in Dubai. Among the innovative green initiatives at the station are technological devices to contain petrol fumes released at the pump as well as state-of-the-art systems such as solar-powered lighting, a “waterless” car-washing system, new waste segregation systems, and design upgrades to reduce noise pollution. The culture of sustainability is ingrained internally, too. Across ENOC several green measures have been introduced, such as replacing all systems with ozone-friendly appliances and usage of LED/solar lights. ENOC’s headquarter complex achieved a saving of 48% in water use and 7.8% in energy use through these initiatives in 2012 compared to 2010.

How is your service portfolio evolving in order to meet the current trends and to face modern challenges in the energy sector?

We are continuously enhancing our business processes by leveraging knowledge management and information systems to promote better customer understanding. We deploy state-of-the-art IT systems to drive growth and use superior management information systems for faster decision-making. This is demonstrated by the activation of the Vehicle Identification Pass (ViP), a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)/Vehicle Identification (VID)-based fuel retailing system at ENOC/EPPCO service stations. This complements the self-serve facility provided at the ENOC/EPPCO network from midnight to 6.00 am. Through the new system commercial users and fleet-owners can now refuel on the go without the need to pay in cash or use credit cards. Across our businesses our focus therefore is to enhance customer service standards through advanced technologies while focusing on strengthening our operational efficiency.

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