All federal roads lights to be replaced with LED lamps

dubai — The Ministry of Infrastructure Development has started replacing the traditional lights on all federal roads with powersaving LED lamps. The total length of federal roads in the UAE span to 710km.

The new lights are not only safer, but also stronger and more economical, according to Eman Al Mansuri, director of tenders and contracts department at the ministry. “The LEDs are less pollutant to the environment with less carbon emission than traditional lights. They also have a longer life that hits 10 years,” she said.

The project is to be carried out in two phases, she stated. “Over 26,300 traditional lamps, consuming 46 megawatts per year, will be replaced with LED lights with 50 per cent drop in power consumption, about 43MW, in the first stage of the scheme spanning 290km.”

New LED lights will be installed over 210km of federal roads in the second phase of the project, said Al Mansuri. “Up to 4,510 LED lamps that consume only 12.3MW, will be fixed on the roads in the second stage.

“The project will significantly save power and cut down carbon footprints.”

Al Mansuri added that the project will help achieve the leadership ‘zero budget’ vision, and decrease the use of natural resources. “This will further reduce the maintenance budget of federal roads and improve partnership with the private sector.”

The winning bidder consultancy company to carry out the first phase of the project is not only to replace the traditional lights with LED lights but also to do maintenance works, Al Mansuri explained.

Al Mansuri said that the ministry adopts innovative solutions to protect the environment by depending on alternative sources of energy; spanning the establishment of electric car charging stations. “An electric car can run 160km against a single charge worth Dh8.”

The ministry has also adopted a project for electric vehicles, she said. “These are added to the solar panels used in the vehicle lay bays on the federal roads, while some government buildings have become power producing entities.”