Tayer meets Special Envoy of Sri Lankan President

Dubai, UAE, September 2022: HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received HE Naseer Ahamed, Special Envoy of the Sri Lankan President and Minister of Environment of Sri Lanka. The visit aimed to learn about the latest achievements of Dubai and discuss ways of cooperation in the renewable and clean energy sector, as well as the key projects, initiatives and programmes to consolidate the green economy and sustainability.

HE Saeed Al Tayer showcased DEWA’s most important projects, initiatives, and programmes, that align with the vision and directives of the wise leadership. He noted that DEWA has a leading role in supporting national and global efforts in environmental sustainability in line with its vision to be a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation. This also aligns with the directives of the wise leadership to make Dubai a sustainable city according to the best international standards and with the cooperation of all society members.

Al Tayer said that DEWA has a clear strategy and specific goals to increase the share of renewable and clean energy in the energy mix in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. One of DEWA’s key projects to achieve this goal is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, the largest single-site solar park in the world using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model with a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. When completed, it will contribute to reducing over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. DEWA’s installed capacity has reached 14,117 MW of electricity. Clean energy share in Dubai’s energy mix has reached 11.5% and is expected to reach 14% by the end of 2022.

Al Tayer added that DEWA launched pioneering initiatives and projects to diversify sources of clean energy production, which included all clean and renewable energy technologies in Dubai. These include solar photovoltaic systems, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and the Green Hydrogen project at the outdoor facilities of DEWA’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to produce eco-friendly hydrogen using renewable energy. DEWA is also building a pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Hatta using clean energy, which is the first of its kind in the GCC region.  To encourage the usage of electric and hybrid vehicles, promote sustainable transport and Dubai’s position as a global hub for green economy and sustainable development, DEWA provides a robust infrastructure for EV charging throughout Dubai with more than 334 charging stations across the Emirate. DEWA aims to increase this number to over 1,000 stations by 2025.

Al Tayer said that DEWA’s results surpass major European and American utilities in several indicators. In 2021, losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks were 3.3% compared to around 6-7% in Europe and the USA. Water network losses were also reduced to 5.3% compared to about 15% in North America, making it one of the lowest water losses worldwide. DEWA has achieved a new world record in electricity Customer Minutes Lost (CML) per year. Dubai recorded 1.43 minutes per customer in 2021, compared to around 15 minutes recorded by leading utility companies in the European Union.