HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), recently welcomed HE Robert Raines, Consul General of the United States to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, to discuss DEWA’s innovative projects, initiatives and latest developments in renewable energy and sustainability. The meeting reaffirmed the shared vision between both sides for a sustainable future and their commitment to driving innovation in clean energy. They also discussed the role of advanced US technologies in DEWA’s strategic initiatives to achieve significant progress in realising the goals of sustainable development.
Also present at the meeting were Fred Aziz, Principal Commercial Officer, Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence, and Marwan bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future at DEWA.
Al Tayer outlined DEWA’s ambitious strategies, which align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, the UAE's Net Zero 2050 Strategy and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050. He also emphasised Dubai’s strategic focus on integrating disruptive Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, digitalisation and the latest innovation to develop world-class infrastructure that meets the highest standards of reliability, efficiency and availability.
Al Tayer highlighted DEWA’s pioneering projects, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. By 2030, the solar park’s capacity will exceed 5,000MW, reducing carbon emissions by more than 6.5 million tonnes annually.
Al Tayer also discussed DEWA’s investments in advanced energy storage systems at the solar park, including the concentrated solar power (CSP) thermal storage project and systems for storing energy using batteries. He also highlighted the pioneering Green Hydrogen project, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to produce hydrogen using solar power. Additionally, he highlighted DEWA’s Space-D programme, which aims to use satellites to improve DEWA’s services, as well as smart grid and smart meter projects, and DEWA’s seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination projects under the Independent Water Producer (IWP) model at Hassyan. He also underscored DEWA’s collaboration with US universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, to refine competencies. DEWA also co-operates with leading US companies such as Microsoft, SAP, IBM and Open AI to support the digital transformation and integration of artificial intelligence to optimise energy consumption and minimise waste.
Regarding DEWA’s excellent operational performance, Al Tayer noted that DEWA currently ranks first globally in 12 key performance indicators in its areas of work, according to a recent study conducted by a specialised international consultant. Line losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks were reduced to 2%, compared to 6%-7% in Europe and the US. Water network losses reached 4.6%, compared to around 15% in North America. DEWA also achieved a new world record of 1.06 electricity Customer Minutes Lost (CML) per year, compared to around 15 minutes recorded by leading companies in Europe.
Consul General Raines commended DEWA’s pioneering initiatives and expressed interest in exploring further opportunities for collaboration in renewable energy and water resource management. The discussions underscored the alignment of DEWA’s sustainability and environmental protection strategies with global efforts to achieve a greener future.