Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) |MD & CEO of DEWA receives Spanish Ambassador to the UAE

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), welcomed HE Antonio Alvarez Barthe, the Spanish Ambassador to the UAE, and Erik Rovina Mardones, Head of the Spanish Trade Office in Dubai. The meeting was attended by Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at DEWA, and Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Government Communications at DEWA.

Al Tayer welcomed the visiting delegation and emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation and the contribution of Spanish companies to electricity and water projects in Dubai, especially in the clean and renewable energy sectors as well as sharing best expertise, experience, and 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. He stressed that DEWA is working to achieve the objectives of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, to secure its energy supply by diversifying the energy mix to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2050. DEWA also launched several projects and initiatives to achieve this objective such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a production capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, of which 4,000MW will be from photovoltaic solar panels and 1,000MW from concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies, with investments totalling AED 50 billion. Upon completion, the solar park will reduce over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

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 the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, 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 around the clock. DEWA issued a tender for the fifth phase of the solar park for 900MW of electricity using photovoltaic solar panels, based on the IPP model, which will be commissioned in stages as of Q2 2021.

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 Spanish delegation expressed interest in participating in DEWA’s leading projects in the field of clean and renewable energy and water, praising the bilateral relations between the two countries and DEWA’s efforts in achieving sustainable development in the Emirate.