DEWA Showcases Best Practices at Urban Water Symposium

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has participated in the Australia-Dubai Urban Water Symposium, organised by the Australian Trade Commission and Australian Consulate General at the Conrad hotel in Dubai. This is a part of DEWA’s strategy to share experiences and knowledge and promote joint action with global organisations. DEWA supported the event, which focused on Australia’s experiences in water conservation, urban water trends, management and product development. HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and the Honourable Andrew Rob, Australian Minister of Trade and Investment, the Honourable Andrew Stoner, New South Wales Deputy Premier, Pablo Kang, Australian Ambassador to the UAE, Gerard Seeber, Senior Trade Commissioner and Consul General in Dubai at the Australian Trade Commission, and Amanda Hodges, Australian Deputy Consul-General and Trade Commissioner. “In line with the national agenda launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which outlines a number of initiatives to preserve water resources, including awareness campaigns and public policy frameworks, DEWA is focused on building awareness and providing innovative solutions for its water supply. As part of our focus on the agricultural sector, which consumes the most quantity of water in the region, DEWA is implementing environmentally-friendly agricultural practices to conserve water,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, at the symposium. “Our initiatives also complement the Green Economy for Sustainable Development vision announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to promote the UAE’s sustainable development and to strengthen its role as a global hub for business. DEWA is fully integrated in terms of production, transmission and distribution of electricity and water in Dubai, and we own and operate a strong electricity and water infrastructure to assure a seamless supply of water and electricity to our customers,” added Al Tayer. The Symposium highlighted Australia’s successful strategies in desalination, recycling water, flood management and energy use efficiency. “Currently, DEWA owns and operates one of the largest desalination plants in the region with a production capacity of 470 million imperial gallons a day. Given the Emirate's dependence on desalinated water, the production of energy and desalinated water in Dubai generates 99% of its total power output from natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and 1% from diesel oil as a fuel byproduct,” said Al Tayer. “We introduce the latest technologies to meet demand and to address environmental challenges in the distribution of electricity and water. Over the past several decades, the water sector has seen tremendous growth to meet the needs of society, and we are committed to delivering a reliable, efficient and continuous water supply. However, the challenges in the water sector are growing across the world, and these vary from country to country depending on various factors including economic growth, the local climate and demand for available water resources,” said Al Tayer. “In the Middle East and North Africa, the challenges in the water sector are led by population growth, increase in water demand and ensuring steady access to water supplies. With the support of various organisations, initiatives can be developed to address these challenges through innovation and engineering excellence. In line with our vision to be a sustainable world-class utility, and to strengthen awareness on the rational use of electricity and water, we are committed to preserving our natural resources for a sustainable future for ourselves and generations to come.” “Until 1979, Dubai depended mainly on groundwater, which is a non-renewable source. However, with the introduction of desalination technology, we inaugurated the first desalination plant in Jebel Ali, which contributed to saving water. The strong economic growth and increase in population have resulted in rapid growth in water demand. DEWA has been able to keep up with that growth. We follow efficient production processes and ensure a sustainable water supply through effective planning and by using the latest technologies, which contribute to reducing the cost of water production,” he explained. “DEWA is focused on the rational use of groundwater, and has reduced its dependence on it from 100% in 1979 to 0.5% in 2013. We will continue to focus on addressing the depletion of groundwater and to rebuild and renew natural aquifers. Due to the nature of the water supply system and the lack of options for water resources, DEWA ensures a sufficient stock of emergency water. DEWA can use this water inventory to manage two days of use and also has the resources to provide an adequate supply of water to all consumers for longer periods in case of an emergency.” “DEWA provides a continuous and secure supply of water while ensuring the comprehensive coverage of all areas of the Emirate via 11,000 km of transmission and distribution water pipes ranging from 1200 mm to 100 mm in size. DEWA has made efforts to reduce the proportion of water losses calculated, down from 42% in 1988 to about 10% in 2013. DEWA continues to adopt best practices to achieve greater savings and lower wastage through new technologies and techniques including meters and pressure monitoring and the use of multiple-speed pumps and SCADA systems.” “In line with the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 which aims to put Dubai on the map of global sustainability by focusing on efficiency, rationalisation of resources and preservation of the environment, DEWA aims to reduce demand for energy and water by 30% in 2030. A roadmap for demand side management from 2013 to 2030 has been created, which will include many programmes for secure and efficient water use.” DEWA opened its Sustainable Building in Al Quoz, the largest government building in the world with a Platinum rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED). It reduces water consumption by 48% using the highest international standards in green buildings, and with a 100% recycling rate.” “DEWA is now introducing smart electricity and water meters for our smart grid, and also the application of smart technologies to manage demand in domestic and commercial sectors, and also obtain accurate and useful data for proper management and systems integration,” concluded Al Tayer.