Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | DEWA selects Honeywell at WETEX 2018 to supply & install new smart meters

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that it will install 270,000 new smart meters across Dubai under phase 3 of its ‘Smart Applications via Smart Grid and Meters’ smart initiative, which was launched in support of the Smart Dubai initiative to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. The project aims to develop smart infrastructure for electricity transmission and distribution networks, to enhance the speed of service delivery and response. This ensures a quick reconnection in case of unplanned service interruption, while rationalising smart energy consumption by monitoring consumption details simultaneously at any time, using smart meters. This in turn, ensures customer satisfaction and happiness and supports the sustainability of resources. Smart grids provide advanced features including automatic decision-making capabilities and interoperability across the power grid.

Honeywell, a leading global technology and manufacturing company, has been selected by DEWA for the supply and installation of new smart electricity meters. The partnership between DEWA and Honeywell focuses on promoting smart energy, energy efficiency, and greater sustainability across Dubai through smart infrastructure and systems.

This announcement was made on the first day of the 20th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2018), organised by DEWA with the theme ‘At the forefront of sustainability’. The event is held under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA, from October 23 – 25, 2018, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

"DEWA is keen to utilise the latest technologies and adopt international best practices to improve its services and operations according to the highest standards of quality, availability, efficiency and reliability. This is aligned with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This also aligns DEWA with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while utilising its disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of things (IoT), 3D printing, and others. The smart grid is an essential component of DEWA’s strategy to develop advanced infrastructure to support the goals of the UAE Centennial 2071; the UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE among the best countries in the world; and the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a smart, integrated and connected city. This consolidates Dubai’s efforts to become the smartest and happiest city in the world; and contributes to the Dubai 10X initiative to propel Dubai towards the future by taking it 10 years ahead of other global cities through government innovation," said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA and Founder and Chairman of WETEX.

"During this phase of the project, DEWA cooperates with Honeywell for the installation of 270,000 additional smart electric meters throughout Dubai, bringing the total number of smart meters that will be installed to approximately 700,000. DEWA is set to complete the installation of about 1 million smart electric meters by 2020, covering the entire Emirate and replacing all electro-mechanical meters. The smart grid contributes to DEWA’s strategic goals of conserving the environment and natural resources by rationalising consumption, ensuring the implementation of the Demand Side Management Strategy to reduce energy and water demand by 30% by 2030. The smart grid includes plans and programmes valued at around AED 7 billion, with 11 programmes to be completed in short, medium and long-term phases between 2014 and 2035," added Al Tayer.

The announcement of the new phase of the smart electricity meters project, in collaboration with Honeywell, during WETEX 2018, is particularly significant given the importance of this global event, which has become the largest and most prominent of its kind in the region, after having established its global stature over two decades as one of the major global events in the field of energy, water, environment and technology. WETEX 2018 spans an area of 78,413 square meters, with more than 2,100 exhibitors from 53 countries.

"Helping to create a smarter and more energy efficient Dubai remains a key commitment for Honeywell. We are working with our clients to support the achievement of the government's sustainability goals. We are proud to be selected by DEWA to complete the next phase of Smart Metering. By leveraging our connected technologies, we are focused on promoting smarter electricity usage across the Emirate," said Norm Gilsdorf, President of Honeywell, High Growth Regions, Middle East, and Russia.

"Honeywell smart meters enable DEWA to create a smarter power grid, providing smart energy management solutions that drive energy efficiency, operational improvements, and cost savings for DEWA,” said Edwin Meijer, General Manager of Smart Energy Business at Honeywell.

It is worth mentioning that DEWA also has an agreement with Itron Silver Spring Networks to establish an AMI communication Radio Frequency Mesh Canopy, while Siemens has completed the Meter Data Management System for its ‘Smart Applications via Smart Grid and Meters’ initiative.