DEWA MD Receives French Delegation

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) received at his office a French delegation including Anne-Marie Idrac, Special Representative of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, HE Michel Miraillet, Ambassador of France to the United Arab Emirates, HE Majdi Abed, French Consul-General to Dubai, Stephen Marchisio, Attaché at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, Patrick Erps, Commercial Attaché at the France Embassy in the UAE, Laurent Chaudet, President of the French Business Council in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, and a group of representatives from French energy companies. 

 The meeting was attended by Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at DEWA, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA, and Ahmed Abdullah, Senior Manager of External Communications at DEWA. The meeting began with an invitation to the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and DEWA to participate in COP21 at Paris in December 2015. It also covered bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation between DEWA and French energy companies. 

 Al Tayer started the meeting by welcoming the delegation, and underlined the significance of enhancing cooperation with French companies and organisations through initiatives, projects and investment opportunities. He also emphasised the importance of French companies participating in DEWA’s initiatives. Al Tayer briefed the delegation on the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site strategic projects worldwide in renewable energy with a planned 1,000MW production capacity by 2020 and 3,000MW by 2030. 

The project will provide a dedicated supply of 100 MW to Dubai Expo 2020 to manage its energy requirements. The project supports the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 developed by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy to diversify the energy mix in the Emirate, where solar energy will account for 7% of total energy production by 2020 and 15% by 2030. Al Tayer explained that DEWA’s investments in the energy sector will reach approximately AED 60 billion over the next five years where these investments will enhance the production of electricity and water, which will support the growth of green economy and create a competitive advantage for the UAE in clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.

DEWA will also allocate part of the capacity of a 400/132 substation, building three 132/11 kV substations with 45 km of high voltage (132 kV) cables, and building power distribution networks with medium- and low-voltage cables and additional transmission stations. DEWA is also working on water transmission projects, with diameters of 600mm and 1,200 mm, and pumping stations and distribution networks. DEWA is supporting the Smart Dubai initiative to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world in three years, with Shams Dubai contributing power from solar arrays on Expo 2020’s buildings. 

The Expo will also have three different types of electric vehicle charging stations from the Green Charger initiative. Al Tayer also briefed the delegation on The Hassyan Clean Coal Power Plant Project, where the first phase of the project is expected to produce 1,200 MW by 2020. He said it is considered a key step in the roadmap adopted by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, which focuses on producing electricity from clean coal as part of Dubai's energy portfolio. He noted that the Hassyan power plant uses ultra-supercritical technology to produce energy according to the highest international standards set by the European Union. “DEWA is working to expand the M-Station power and water desalination plant. The new combined-cycle power plant will add a further 700 megawatts (MW) to the installed generating capacity of M-Station at Jebel Ali, boosting its capacity to 2,760MW when the project will be completed in 2018,” added Al Tayer.

 Idrac demonstrated a French interest in promoting the partnerships with Dubai, particularly in the energy sector. The delegation showed interest in participating in DEWA’s projects related to renewable energy, and the exchange of experiences on technology to promote sustainable growth in Dubai. At the end of the visit, the members of the French delegation thanked Al Tayer for the warm reception, and expressed appreciation for DEWA and its contribution in areas of mutual cooperation.