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Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has today participated in the MEED Leaders in Energy Reform Summit, DEWA is the official sponsor of the summit, which attracted a number of prominent decision makers in the region. It discussed the best solutions to meet the region’s growing energy demand, by making major reforms in this sector, diversifying the energy mix, increasing energy efficiency, and enhancing support and funding by the private sector.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, delivered a keynote speech at the summit. HE Dr. Abdullah Al Shehri, Governor, Electricity & Co-Generation Regulatory Authority, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HE Dr. Ibrahim Saif, Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources, Jordan, and a large number of energy experts and specialists were present at the summit.
“I am pleased to welcome you all to the MEED Leaders in Energy Reform Summit 2016, which is sponsored by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority as part of its efforts to implement the directives of our wise leadership represented by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who have a vision to make the UAE the most sustainable country in the world by launching promising projects in clean and renewable energy. This contributes to achieving the UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by 2021, and the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai Government pioneering, excellent, proactive, and creative in meeting the needs of individuals and society as a whole,” said Al
“Energy is a major element of economic, environmental, and social development. The biggest challenge that governments will face in the future, is to meet growing energy needs. This requires radical reforms in this vital sector and puts upon governments many burdens related to the environment in which we live and our commitment towards them and towards protecting their resources for generations to come. Climate change is a major concern for the world. We are facing serious challenges and we must all join forces to confront and overcome these challenges. In adherence with the long-term vision of the wise leadership to shape the future, we are working on diversifying our energy mix, and increasing the share of clean energy. To this goal, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced in November 2015, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 7% of Dubai’s energy from clean sources by 2020, 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050. Dubai is the only city in the Middle East and North Africa to launch such a strategy, with specific targets and deadlines that outline the future of energy in Dubai until 2050. Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 consists of five main pillars, infrastructure, legislation, funding, building capacities and skills, and an environmentally-friendly energy mix. DEWA’s five-year investment strategy amounts to over AED 65 billion. DEWA has launched a host of successful initiatives and has allocated over AED 2.6 billion to the development of its world-class electricity, water and renewable energy infrastructure in Dubai, ahead of World Expo 2020 in line with its theme of 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,’ which focuses on the concepts of opportunity, mobility, and sustainability,” added Al Tayer.
“Clean and renewable energy has developed considerably, with preparations to bid farewell to the last drop of oil. We have seen major technological advances, using the abundant natural resources in our region such as solar energy, with an increased commitment to preserving the environment for generations to come. This contributes to achieving the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2020. That’s why we strive to encourage Research and Development (R&D) in solar energy, to enhance energy security and sustainability. Solar energy is one of the prominent ways of using clean energy sources in the UAE as the country is located within the Sunbelt. One of the major solar-energy projects in Dubai is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This the largest single-site solar park in the world, with planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. It will help reduce 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, supporting the green initiatives and programmes carried out by the government to reduce carbon emissions,” said Al Tayer.
Al Tayer noted that in addition to energy projects, the Solar Park’s projects include an R&D centre, which includes a solar-testing facility, the Innovation Centre, the Renewable Academy and the solar-powered water desalination station using solar panels to desalinate water with Reverse Osmosis technology. The Solar Park demonstrates DEWA’s strategy to encourage and implement research in renewable energy, and implement creative ideas and suggestions, with a total investment of AED 500 million.
“DEWA encourages its customers to generate clean energy through the Shams Dubai initiative, which supports the Smart Dubai initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to transform Dubai into the smartest and happiest city in the world. The initiative encourages building owners to install photovoltaic panels on rooftops to generate electricity, and connect them to DEWA’s grid. The electricity is used on site and the surplus is exported to DEWA’s grid. The Green Charger initiative was launched to establish the infrastructure for electric-vehicle charging stations. This reflects our commitment to protecting the environment, and reducing pollution caused by fossil fuels, while enabling electric-car owners to achieve large savings, benefiting the economy as a whole. DEWA installed 100 electric vehicle charging stations in 2015 across Dubai. Apart from solar energy, the Hassyan clean-coal power plant is based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, and will generate 2,400 MW. This is the first project of its kind in the region, and will be developed to the highest international standards,” added Al Tayer.
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