Dubai: DEWA Strengthens Ties with US Department Of Energy

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), welcomed a high-level delegation from the US Department of Energy.

The delegation was headed by Dan Brouillette, Deputy Secretary of Energy, and included Paul R. Malik, US Consul General in Dubai, and Glen Sweetnam, Director for the Office of African and Middle Eastern Affairs in the Office of International Affairs at the US Department of Energy, and several advisors from the Deputy Secretary’s Office, and staff from the US Consulate in Dubai.

Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Excellence, Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, and Marwan Bin Haider, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future from DEWA also attended.

At the beginning of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed the delegation, and stressed that these meetings are part of DEWA’s desire to share best international experiences and expertise, and enhance cooperation with US government agencies and the private sector in energy.

The MD & CEO presented DEWA’s plans and projects, which translate the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and support the objectives of the UAE Centennial 2071 to secure a happy future and a better life for future generations, and raise the UAE’s status as the best country in the world, as well as the Dubai Plan 2021 to provide the best government services.

DEWA’s initiatives and projects aim to strengthen its competitive position globally, especially in renewable and clean energy, sustainability, and green economy.

Al Tayer noted that DEWA has a comprehensive strategy for the energy sector, which it translated into practical strategies. It works to secure energy supplies by diversifying the energy mix to 75% of Dubai's total clean energy production by 2050.

To achieve this, DEWA launched green initiatives and programmes, notably the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, with a planned capacity of 5,000MW by 2030.

Al Tayer noted that the 13MW photovoltaic first phase became operational in 2013. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park was launched in March 2017.

The 800MW photovoltaic third phase will be operational by 2020. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also announced the 700MW AED14.2 billion fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

This is the largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world, based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.

The project will have the world’s tallest solar tower, measuring 260 metres, and will be commissioned in stages, starting from Q4 of 2020.

Al Tayer also highlighted the 2,400MW Hassyan clean coal power project, and building a hydroelectric power station in the mountains next to the Hatta dam with a capacity of 250MW, in addition to the smart grids.

DEWA has adopted a clear strategy for energy and water demand management, which seeks to reduce electricity and water demand by 30% by 2030.

“DEWA has achieved very competitive results in its global benchmarking, surpassing the private sector and major European and American utilities in efficiency and reliability.

It has been able to raise the efficiency of energy production, using the latest technologies and adopting technological innovations, and also surpassed European and American utilities by reducing losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks to 3.3% compared to 6-7% in the US and Europe, and water network losses were reduced to 8%, compared to 15% in North America, which is one of best results in the world.

DEWA also achieved the lowest customer minutes lost per year (CML) in the world of 2.6 CML compared to 15 minutes in Europe. The UAE, represented by DEWA, has been ranked first globally for getting electricity as per the World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 report,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer reviewed DEWA’s new headquarters, called Al-Shera’a, which is Arabic for ‘sail.’ The new building will be the tallest, largest, and smartest public Zero Energy Building (ZEB) in the world.

He also reviewed DEWA’s latest and best practices in smart transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and robots at the Future Centre for Customer Happiness, which includes smart payment platforms, and Rammas, the virtual employee that uses AI technology to answer customer queries.

Al Tayer also reviewed the Happiness Meter which regularly monitors and measures the level of stakeholders’ happiness, in addition to DEWA’s projects that are monitored via a mobile dashboard system.

The delegation expressed interest in participating in DEWA’s projects, especially on clean energy, exchanging expertise, information, and techniques, and contributing to the sustainable growth of Dubai.