TNB and DHL sign pact to develop greener supply chain

KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and DHL Express Malaysia (DHL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the development of a greener supply chain, highlighting the companies’ commitment towards environmentally responsible business practices.

In a joint statement today, they said the MoU will, among others, focus on making deliveries more environmentally friendly with the introduction of electric vehicles (EV) in DHL’s fleet, marking a new milestone in the international courier’s commitment to zero-emission logistics by 2050.

The MoU includes cooperation in zero carbon and cost-reduction initiatives, encompassing the implementation of energy-efficient equipment, building energy management systems, and rooftop solar panels.

DHL is assessing TNB’s electricity supply chain and identifying opportunities for enhancement, the statement said.

“This collaboration leverages on TNB’s collective expertise in energy management, energy audit, and sustainable energy solutions towards a more sustainable future for the nation.

“As DHL grows its fleet of electric vehicles in the coming years, TNB aims to gradually build more EV charging stations at DHL’s facilities and their delivery routes,” said the power utility’s president and chief executive officer Datuk Bahrain Din.

DHL Express Malaysia and Brunei managing director Julian Neo and TNB chief retail officer Datuk Megat Jalaluddin Megat Hassan signed the MoU, which is effective for 12 months from June 10, 2021.

With TNB taking the lead with the installation of EV charging infrastructure on-site and at strategic locations along service routes, DHL will roll out the first batch of EV vans at its Kuala Lumpur service centre by early next year.

In Malaysia, Neo said, DHL provides additional carbon reporting services that allow customers to analyse their environmental footprint and manage their carbon emissions.

“Customers can also receive verified calculation and offsetting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for our transport and logistics services through climate protection projects. Through collective efforts with partners like TNB, we can achieve long-term sustainable value for the communities we serve and meet our group-wide goal of zero GHG emissions by 2050,“ he added.

On the generation side, TNB is strengthening its position in the domain of sustainable energy sources by adopting emerging renewable energy (RE) technologies of solar, wind, biomass and biogas which accounts for 713.2MW of generation.

According to the statement, the utility giant is targeting to increase its RE capacity to 8,300MW by 2025, driven by domestic and international initiatives.

As of March 2021, TNB’s RE capacity stands at 3,402MW, of which 2,736MW is in Malaysia and 666MW abroad.

The MoU comes as part of DHL’s measures to strengthen its portfolio dedicated to EV logistics and is in line with parent company Deutsche Post DHL Group’s increased pace to decarbonise. To this end, the group is investing a total of €7 billion (RM34.5 billion) over the next 10 years in reducing its carbon dioxide emissions, which includes the expansion of its e-vehicle fleet. – Bernama