Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | MD & CEO of DEWA receives Minister of Energy, Manpower, and Industry of Brunei Darussalam

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has received a high-level delegation from the Brunei Ministry of Energy, Manpower, and Industry (MEMI) at DEWA’s Sustainable Building in Al Quoz. HE Dato Seri Setia Dr Mat Suny Hussein, Minister of Energy, Manpower, and Industry, led the delegation. The meeting discussed ways and means of working together and exchanging experiences and practices to enhance Dubai's position as a global hub for trade, finance, tourism, and green economy.

At the beginning of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed Hussein and the visiting delegation, emphasising the importance of enhancing joint cooperation. Al Tayer also talked about DEWA and Brunei’s companies sharing best expertise, experiences and best practices in energy, water, and sustainability, to further develop these areas and mutually benefit from shared experiences.

Al Tayer presented DEWA’s latest projects and local and international achievements, and its active role in promoting sustainable development in Dubai. He also briefed the visiting delegation on DEWA’s projects, initiatives, and plans, to achieve the vision of the wise leadership to transform Dubai into a global centre for clean energy and green economy as well as the global directives for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. DEWA contributes to achieving this vision by creating a future model for utilities in the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity and water.

DEWA is securing its energy supply by diversifying the energy mix to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2050. To achieve this, DEWA launched several renewable programmes and initiatives, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world. Using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, it will have a capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030 with investments totalling AED 50 billion. Upon completion, the solar park will reduce over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually and provide thousands of jobs in clean energy and green economy.

Al Tayer said that DEWA adopted the IPP model in the solar park’s projects to promote public-private partnerships. Through this model, DEWA achieved the lowest international prices for electricity on four separate occasions.

The 13MW first phase became operational in 2013 using photovoltaic solar panels. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park was operational in March 2017. The 800MW photovoltaic third phase will be operational by 2020. The 950MW fourth phase of the solar park is the largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world. Based on IPP, it combines photovoltaic and CSP technologies. It will use 700MW of CSP; 600MW from a parabolic basin complex and 100MW from a solar power tower; and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels. The project will have the largest global thermal storage capacity of 15 hours; allowing for energy availability round the clock. DEWA issued a tender for the fifth phase of the solar park for 900MW of electricity using photovoltaic solar panels, based on IPP, which will be commissioned in stages as of Q2 2021.

The Research and Development (R&D) Centre of the solar park is centred on four major operational areas: electricity generation from clean energy and solar power, integration of smart grids, energy efficiency, and water. The R&D Centre’s projects and programmes consist of internal labs to study and test system reliability, and external field testing of new technologies and equipment, including performance and reliability of solar photovoltaic panels and removing dust. DEWA’s R&D Centre includes a lab built using 3D printing technology and is the first building in the UAE to be fully-printed on-site and the first such 3D-printed laboratory building in the world.

Al Tayer also discussed the solar-powered hydrogen electrolysis plant at DEWA’s outdoor testing facilities at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai that is being developed by DEWA, Expo 2020 Dubai, and Siemens. The key elements of this facility comprise the production of green hydrogen using electricity produced from solar panels, hydrogen storages, and a multitude of other services that include re-electrification (storage and network services), transportation, and other industrial services.   

Al Tayer and the visiting delegation also toured the sustainable building’s various sections, including the green spaces on its roof and the solar photovoltaic panels that are used to supply the building with solar power. DEWA’s Sustainable Building in Al Quoz is the largest government building in the world to receive a Platinum Rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The building uses 66% less energy and 48% less water and features an on-site 660 kilowatt (kW) solar power plant.