The award in the category 'Large Corporations' was presented to Mr. Löscher by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, during an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi today. The prize was established to reward achievements that reflect impact, innovation, long-term vision and leadership in renewable energy and sustainability. There was a record number of nearly 600 entries for this year's prize.
Siemens generated EUR 33.2 billion from its Environmental Portfolio in fiscal 2012, a growth of 10 per cent versus the previous year. This amounted to 42 per cent of the company's total sales. Furthermore, by using technologies of the Environmental Portfolio, Siemens helped its customers reduce CO2 emissions by more than 330 million tons – roughly the equivalent of six times the annual emissions of New York City.
With a history in the Middle East region dating back 150 years, Siemens has become a name synonymous with ambitious and forward-thinking projects, which proves that sustainability can be a business opportunity rather than an obstacle. In 2011, Siemens achieved an average of nearly 40 new technological inventions every work day.
"The required technology for sustainable development is readily available now and Siemens is providing it to our customers," Löscher added.
In the United Arab Emirates, Siemens has installed an innovative technology called wet compression at Jebel Ali power station in Dubai that increases the output of some of the facility's gas turbines by between 18 and 20 megawatts each. Besides the increased efficiency of the plant the technology also reduces emissions, setting a regional benchmark and also winning the 'Best Technical Project' award from the Dubai Government Excellence Program.
Another example is the Tornado Tower in Doha, Qatar. Due to innovative Total Building Solutions from Siemens, the 200-meter structure in the heart of the Qatari capital can reduce energy consumption by at least 20 per cent, consequently cutting CO2 emissions as well as lowering energy costs, compared to conventional buildings. Siemens is also working to supply Qatar with a turnkey tram system, featuring 19 Avenio trams with hybrid energy storage systems that can operate without an overhead contact line. The trams use 30 per cent less energy compared to conventional vehicles.