WETEX 2026 hosts 58 sessions exploring greater sector efficiency and lower emissions on day three

The third day of the 28th edition of the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2026, organised by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) at the Dubai World Trade Centre, featured 58 sessions across a range of seminars exploring how to harness innovation and the latest technologies to raise the efficiency of vital sectors, drive sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.

Main seminars

During the ‘Whole of System Resilience for Water Utilities’ session, experts from PwC Middle East outlined an integrated approach to water utility resilience that uses digital network models and AI to simulate disruptions in near real time, rather than over several weeks. The discussion focused on identifying bottlenecks and compounded risks, giving executives clear yes-or-no answers to support decision-making, and aligning resilience planning with business continuity standards in the UAE and globally.

The ‘Sustainable Engineering in Practice: MEP Innovations Across DAMAC Developments’ session featured Omar Khurma, Senior Director for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) at DAMAC, who discussed the role of MEP engineering in improving electricity and water efficiency and reducing emissions across DAMAC’s developments. Khurma highlighted efficient HVAC, smart metering, water reuse, solar power and supplier assessments based on environmental, social and governance criteria.

In the session titled ‘Sustainable switchgear for a sustainable future’ session, Nithyanandan Varadhan, Technical Offer Manager at Nuventura India, part of Lucy Electric, presented Nuventura’s SF6-free medium-voltage switchgear, which uses dry-air insulation with zero global warming potential. He highlighted the Nu1 and Nu2 ranges, including their 25% smaller footprint compared to air-insulated switchgear, as well as replaceable components, internal arc protection and testing against international standards.

Renewables and Sustainability

During the ‘Scaling EV Infrastructure Without Breaking the Grid’ session moderated by Heiko Seitz, Partner at Strategy&, speakers explored how electric vehicle charging infrastructure can be expanded without compromising grid stability. The panel featured Rajeev Roy, Senior Vice President for the Power Future Grid at TAQA Distribution, Majid Al Hazami, Director of Smart Grid PMO at DEWA, Roberto Colucci, Director of Electric Vehicles at AW Rostamani Group, Thanveer Musthafa, Director at Pactive Evergreen, and Maneesha Bhatnagar, Head of ESG, Consultancy and Innovation at LeasePlan Emirates.

Discussions focused on advance planning, smart charging, microgrids, battery storage and the challenges of retrofitting existing buildings and electrifying fleets. The speakers also addressed total ownership cost, vehicle residual values and cyber security, emphasising the importance of regulatory frameworks and partnerships.

In the session titled ‘Profit and Purpose: Solar as an Economic Shield and Sustainability Mandate’ session, Ghanim Alqassim, Chief Business Development Officer at DEWA International and Senior Manager for Clean Energy and Diversification at DEWA, and Alejandro Longueira, Senior Principal at Oliver Wyman, examined the economic case for solar power, including its role in reducing electricity costs while meeting sustainability goals. They also reviewed the expansion of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and its seventh phase, and discussed the independent power producer model, commercial and industrial opportunities, financing, space and regulatory barriers, and DEWA International’s expansion. Alqassim noted that advances in technology advances have increased solar panel efficiency from 11% to around 23%.

In the ‘Reskilling the Energy Workforce: AI, Automation and a Just Transition’ session, Haya Abu Laila, Manager of Human Resources at TAQA, Jidesh Kambil, CEO of Seventeen Interlinked International, Sara Waheed, Senior Manager for Emiratisation, People and Culture at Al Ghurair Group, and Alyazyah Almarzooqi, Digitisation and Analytics Manager and Curator of Global Shapers Dubai, focused on reskilling the energy workforce to support the sector’s transformation, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), automation and digital skills. Speakers highlighted the need to address talent shortages, prepare employees for change, promote intergenerational knowledge exchange and provide equitable access for career development opportunities, so that everyone benefits from the transition.

Health and Safety

During the session titled ‘AI-Augmented Leadership: Integrating Safety, Sustainability and Risk into Business Decision-Making’ session, Renato Volpe, QHSE and Sustainability Director at Mazrui Energy, a Mazrui International company, explored AI’s potential to connect audit findings, incident reports and resource data to identify risks and recurring patterns earlier. Volpe stressed the importance of data governance, privacy, bias prevention and human verification, as well as the need to integrate AI into existing management processes so that it supports leadership decisions and accountability, rather than replacing them, while strengthening safety culture and sustainability.

During the ‘Emerging AI in Managing Health and Safety at Workplace’ session, participants from Bureau Veritas, Amina Healthcare Group and Graphite-Arch, alongside academics from Canadian University Dubai, discussed the role of AI in shifting workplace safety management from incident response to risk anticipation through computer vision, wearable devices and site data analysis. The panel outlined how these applications can monitor fatigue, long-term environmental exposure and workers’ psychological wellbeing, while stressing the importance of data quality and governance under ISO 45001 and ISO 42001, as well as human oversight, accountability and timely intervention.

Supplier relationship management seminars

The panel discussions and interactive seminars on supplier relationship management helped to strengthen DEWA’s relationships with its suppliers while enhancing partnerships and advancing efforts to promote sustainability and the circular economy.