Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | MD & CEO discusses collaboration with British Consul General to Dubai

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), held a video conference with HE Andrew Jackson, UK Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, to discuss mutual collaboration between DEWA and British water and renewable and clean energy companies.

At the start of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed the UK Consul General and reviewed DEWA’s pioneering and innovative projects and initiatives to achieve the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The vision of His Highness is the roadmap for DEWA’s ambitious initiatives and development projects to enhance sustainability, create a happy society, and meet the aspirations of citizens and residents in Dubai. This supports DEWA’s vision to become a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation.

Al Tayer explained DEWA’s experiences and pre-emptive and precautionary measures to fight the Coronavirus outbreak and protect the health and safety of customers and staff.

Al Tayer explained that, as soon as the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic, DEWA adopted a plan for emergency and business continuity after testing it several times to ensure its seamlessness. This was in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and supported the Government of Dubai’s efforts to ensure the best protection against the virus. DEWA’s emergency and crisis team followed up on the response effectiveness, coordinated with DEWA’s strategic partners across Dubai and the UAE, as well as the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai. DEWA ensured the availability of all its services thanks to its advanced digital infrastructure and technological preparedness, which meet the highest international standards. This has enabled DEWA’s customers to complete their transactions easily and safely, anytime and anywhere, without visiting the Customer Happiness Centres, which have all been transformed into self-service centres. DEWA achieved a 96% customer happiness score for its precautionary measures and easy seamless services.

Al Tayer highlighted that DEWA has an installed capacity of 11,700MW of electricity and 470 MIG of water per day. DEWA works to achieve the targets of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 75% of Dubai's total power output from clean energy by 2050. To achieve this, it has several green programmes and initiatives, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site strategic renewable energy project in the world, based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. The solar park will have a capacity of 5,000MW by 2030.

Al Tayer added that DEWA has attracted investments totalling around AED 40 billion through the IPP model, which strengthens public-private partnerships. Through this model, DEWA received the lowest global solar power prices five times in a row, making Dubai a global benchmark for them.

Al Tayer highlighted that DEWA has achieved world-class results and set new global standards, breaking world records in energy and water performance indicators. It has reduced losses in electricity transmission and distribution networks to 3.2%, compared to 6-7% recorded in Europe and the USA. Water network losses decreased to 6.6%, compared to 15% in North America. DEWA achieved a new world record in electricity Customer Minutes Lost (CML) per year. DEWA recorded 1.86 minutes, in Dubai, compared to around 15 minutes recorded by leading electricity companies in the European Union. 

DEWA increased production efficiency by 31.4% between 2006 and 2019, using state-of-the-art technologies and adopting technological innovations. In addition, the availability and reliability of the generation units reached 100%, exceeding global rates of 91%. The UAE, represented by DEWA, has maintained its first global ranking, for the third consecutive year, in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report, which measures the ease of doing business in 190 economies around the world.

Al Tayer said that DEWA launched Digital DEWA as its digital arm, making it the world’s first digital utility to use autonomous systems for renewable energy, storage, expansion in Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption, and providing digital services. Digital DEWA has four pillars. The First Pillar, Solar Power, includes increasing the use of solar power in Dubai to provide 75% of its power output from clean energy by 2050. The Second Pillar, Energy Storage, aims to operate a renewable energy network using innovative energy storage technologies. The Third Pillar, Artificial Intelligence (AI), is called Rammas. It will make Dubai the first city to provide AI-based electricity and water services. The Fourth Pillar, Digital Services, will expand digital services through MORO Data Hub, which provides hosting, data storage and cloud-based digital services management for 20 public and private organisations so far. This is in partnership with 25 local and international technology companies.

The British Consul General expressed his interest in cooperating with DEWA on its pioneering projects in clean and renewable energy and water. He also commended the bilateral relations between the UAE and the UK as well as DEWA’s continuing efforts to achieve the sustainable development of Dubai.