DII joint venture is established: CEO appointed

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Through a joint venture initiative between twelve companies and the Desertec Foundation, solar photovoltaics and sustainability will be promoted in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The joint venture group signed the articles of association for the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) on October 30 in Munich.

The work of the DII will involve a thorough analysis and the establishment of a framework for investments to supply the MENA region and Europe with power produced using solar and also wind energy sources. The long-term goal is to satisfy a substantial part of the energy needs of the MENA countries meeting a potential 15% of Europe’s electricity demand by 2050.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

In related news, the DII shareholder meeting held at the same time as the signing, appointed Paul van Son as CEO of the DII. van Son has held various management posts in the European energy industry, including managing director of Deutsche Essent and Econcern. van Son is also chairman of the European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET) and chairman of the Energy4All Foundation in Africa. 

“The DII will primarily focus on the economic, technical and regulatory conditions that must be fulfilled for successful project implementation. Early reference projects will allow us to learn for further rollout plans by the DII and other parties,” said van Son. 

All DII signatories have agreed on the need for efficient climate protection measures, in support of this, Torsten Jeworrek, member of the board of Munich Re on behalf of the DII founding members said, “The question is not whether we should do something, but how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere and how this goal can be achieved in an intelligent manner, which results in a win-win situation for both the environment and the economy. With regard to the important UN climate summit in Copenhagen, this private sector initiative demonstrates how business potentials can be aligned with sustainability goals.” 

Shareholders of the DII include ABB, Abengoa Solar, Cevital, Desertec Foundation, Deutsche Bank, E.ON, HSH Nordbank, MAN Solar Millennium, Munich Re, M+W Zander, RWE, Schott Solar and Siemens. DII headquarters will be located in Munich. 

Read Next

October 13, 2025
France’s Engie and the UAE’s Masdar have been chosen to jointly develop a 1.5GW PV power plant near Abu Dhabi.
Premium
October 13, 2025
Brett Beattie of Castillo Engineering looks at some of the key land grading work that can make multimillion-dollar differences to projects.
October 13, 2025
Korean chemical production firm OCI Holdings has acquired a 65% stake in a Vietnamese solar wafer production plant, intending to export solar wafers to the US.
October 13, 2025
The world is on pace to exceed 3TW of cumulative solar installations by the end of the year, according to a report from DNV.
October 13, 2025
The Trump administration has cancelled the 6.2GW Esmeralda 7 solar project in Nevada – once touted as one of the largest in the world.
October 13, 2025
Two Chinese state-owned energy enterprises have signed cooperation agreements on PV and wind power projects with Saudi companies, with the total contract value exceeding RMB30 billion (US$4.2 billion). 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK