Spotlight on Rowan Jandu, Executive Director & Head of Business Development - Haala Energy
Rowan Jandu
Executive Director & Head of Business Development - Haala Energy
About Rowan
Rowan Jandu is a co-founder of Haala Energy and has been active in the commercial and industrial (C&I) solar sector in Saudi Arabia for nearly a decade. With a background in management consulting, sustainable waste management and renewable energy, he brings a broad range of experience to his role.
As Haala Energy’s Head of Business Development, Rowan has recently overseen the launch of the company’s project development division, establishing Haala as Saudi Arabia’s first vertically integrated solar developer and EPC contractor.
Congratulations on signing the 3 MWp rooftop solar project agreement with Panda! Partnering with one of Saudi Arabia’s largest retail chains is a milestone. What does this collaboration signify for Haala Energy’s journey?
This collaboration is an important milestone in the Haala Energy journey. After such an extensive procurement process, I think the signature of this contract is a real vote of confidence in the Haala team and our value proposition. We are hoping that this marks the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership with Panda and look forward to supporting them with the implementation of solar on this site and others, in due course.
Signing a 15-year PPA with Panda Retail Company is a significant achievement. How does this agreement reflect Haala Energy’s commitment to driving renewable energy adoption Saudi Arabia’s private sector?
Here at Haala, we are focused specifically on these types of projects. We believe that the commercial and industrial (C&I) market segment is where we can have the biggest impact on renewable energy adoption in Saudi. I am pleased to say that since the Panda announcement, we have signed 3 more contracts with reputable C&I off-takers, and we hope to make renewable energy adoption a reality for many more clients in 2025.
What makes this project significant for Haala Energy’s growth and contribution to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 renewable energy targets?
Although this project is relatively small compared to the ambitious Vision 2030 targets, there are a huge number of potential projects like this across the country. We believe that taken together these represent a large potential contribution to the national goals and should not be overlooked. These types of projects are also particularly valuable in terms of their impact on the local economy, enabling the growth of local renewable energy champions (like Haala Energy) and the creation of high-quality local jobs.
It's worth pointing out that most of our competitors in the project development space are foreign entities bringing expertise and finance from abroad. This significant project award to a homegrown Saudi player in a relatively new sector of the economy represents a genuine Saudi success story and a small realisation of the Vision 2030 ideals.
What innovative strategies or technologies does Haala Energy bring to its rooftop solar projects to maximize efficiency and sustainability impact?
C&I retrofit projects require bespoke solutions tailored to the specific requirements of each client’s facility, and potentially including a range of technologies like solar, wind, diesel and energy storage.
Our background in specialised solar EPC contracting means that Haala Energy has a very capable engineering team with experience working on most types of solar applications. We also have very good relationships with many of the industry’s leading suppliers, so we are well placed to help our clients leverage the renewable energy solutions from which they stand to benefit most.
We have also been supporting R&D projects in KAUST for many years now, including piloting some cutting-edge applications - like solar + storage for green hydrogen electrolysis - and participating in other research studies to help optimise the commercial deployment of solar in Saudi – for example studying the heat loss implications of different rooftop mounting systems.
Partnerships are critical in the renewable energy sector. What key factors does Haala Energy prioritize when building long-term relationships with clients and collaborators like this with Panda?
The most important factor we look for in building long-term relationships is a clear opportunity for us to add value. Panda is a good example of a client with a relatively high energy cost (commercial tariff payer) and a large number of sites, each with its own specific requirements and considerations. In this context, Haala can potentially add a lot of value in helping to deploy the right renewable energy solutions at scale to drive significant operational cost reductions and hit sustainability targets. Our most successful long-term relationships tend to be with similar clients, for example Fakieh Poultry, Tamer Group and IKEA.
Looking ahead, what are Haala Energy’s key strategies for driving innovation and expansion in the Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy market?
We are focused on delivering the right solutions to the clients who stand to benefit most from renewable energy integration in Saudi. Our goal is to be the local solar partner of choice for C&I projects. It’s a very competitive market, and there have been plenty of challenges along the way, but this partnership with Panda Retail is surely a step in the right direction.
About Haala Energy
Haala Energy is a leading solar project developer and EPC contractor based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2017 and specialising in providing turnkey solar energy solutions for commercial and industrial scale clients, Haala has completed over 30 projects across a wide range of sectors and applications.
Being both a local company and vertically integrated (project development, EPC contracting and O&M in-house), Haala Energy is uniquely well placed to help businesses in Saudi reduce their energy costs and increase sustainability through the development of solar PV solutions.