Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, DEWA, Energy Companies Meetings

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has held a number of meetings with energy companies in Milan, Italy. Al Tayer met a delegation from Italy’s Enel Group, represented by Massimiliano Tarantino, Executive Vice President for Green Power, and Marco Ladevaia, Head of International Business Development – Infrastructure and Networks, Africa and Middle East. The meeting was attended by Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at DEWA, and other DEWA officials. The two sides discussed future cooperation and exchanging expertise and best practices. Enel reviewed its current and future expansion plans in global markets and the company’s experiences in different areas of energy. The delegation highlighted the energy percentages in the company’s energy mix. The company’s installed power capacity is 9.6GW of renewable energy. It has 56 million energy customers and 61 million customers with smart-meters. Al Tayer highlighted DEWA’s projects, noting that the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which DEWA is operating, is one of the largest strategic renewable energy projects in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, with a planned total capacity of 1,000MW by 2020 and 3,000MW by 2030. The 13MW first phase became operational on 22 October 2013. The 200MW second phase will be operational by 2017. The Solar Park includes a Research and Development Centre (R&D), a solar-testing facility, an Innovation Centre, a University, and a training centre. The increase in the share of renewable energy in Dubai’s energy mix will reach 7% by 2020 and 15% by 2030. Al Tayer invited Enel to take part in the 800MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Al Tayer also met with a delegation from EFG Consulting, headed by Professor Giovanni Bozzetti, President and CEO. The delegation highlighted EFG’s energy projects, retrofitting buildings, and IPP projects. The company has made over 200 million euros in profit. EFG delegation expressed its interest in taking part in Dubai’s renewable energy projects. The company has offices in Dubai that contribute to enhancing cooperation, business and investment opportunities between Italian and UAE companies in different areas, such as energy. “We work to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance the sustainable development of Dubai. We also support the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, and work to achieve the Dubai Plan 2021 to manage the Emirate’s resources in a sustainable and innovative way,” added Al Tayer. Al Tayer noted that the Demand Side Management strategy is the first of its kind in the region. It provides new opportunities for companies working in energy services, sustainability, and energy efficiency. Al Tayer invited EFG Consulting to apply for projects to retrofit buildings, as EFG has considerable experience doing this in Italy. Al Tayer added that the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 intends to reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030. The strategy has 8 programmes to manage energy demand, such as green building regulations, retrofitting of existing buildings, district cooling, wastewater reuse, laws and standards to raise efficiency, and energy-efficient street lighting.