Dewa discusses ways to strengthen cooperation with French firms

DUBAI / WAM

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), inaugurated an online webinar organised by Dewa to introduce 61 French companies to the business and investment opportunities presented by Wetex and DSS. The event was attended by Axel Baroux, the French Trade and Invest Commissioner, and Regional Director of Business France in the Middle East. Wetex and DSS are the largest exhibitions in the region for energy, water, green development, sustainability, and related sectors, and are among the largest specialised exhibitions globally.
Dewa is organising the 25th Wetex and DSS 2023 under the directives of His Highness 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 Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. It will be held from November 15-17, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at Dewa; Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at Dewa; Marwan Bin Haider, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future at Dewa; and Sandra Papet, Head of Industry and Cleantech Department of Business France in the Middle East, also attended the webinar.
In his opening speech, Al Tayer welcomed the participating French companies and institutions, and emphasised Dewa’s keenness to consolidate collaboration and exchange experiences and best practices to achieve mutual benefit for the UAE and France.
He said, “In line with the vision of our wise leadership, we have a clear strategy and specific goals to increase the share of clean and renewable energy in Dubai’s energy mix. We have launched pioneering projects and initiatives to diversify clean energy sources, including solar photovoltaic systems, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using solar power, and pumped-storage hydroelectric power technology. We will continue to work hard to achieve these ambitious goals.”
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is part of Dewa’s efforts to support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to achieve 100 percent production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
The solar park is the largest single-site solar park in the world and is implemented through Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, with a planned total capacity of 5,000MW by 2030, with an investment of AED50 billion ($13.6 billion).
Dewa has established a Research and Development Centre and an Innovation Centre to develop effective solutions to address climate change by reducing carbon emissions. It has launched several projects that are being implemented at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The authority has developed a green hydrogen pilot project, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa.
“We have also prepared the outline of a roadmap for a green hydrogen strategy that will be implemented in phases as part of our efforts to support the implementation of the net-zero by 2050 strategy. For many years now in Dubai, we have stopped launching new projects to produce energy using fossil fuels, and restrict new water desalination projects to reverse osmosis technology using clean energy,” Al Tayer said.
In addition to raising fuel efficiency in the main production units to about 90%, competing with the highest international benchmarks. Dewa has already moved away from the conventional engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) model for power and water production projects, to the Independent Power and Water Producer (IPWP) model, which has proven highly beneficial for the authority.
Al Tayer concluded that Dewa has achieved a fuel efficiency of around 90%, surpassing international benchmarks. They have shifted from the EPC model to the IPWP model, benefiting the authority. Last year, Dewa went public, followed by its subsidiary Empower, with a record demand of over AED 315 billion and an oversubscription of 37 times. Dewa is committed to creating a green and sustainable future and seeks collaboration with international partners, including French companies, to leverage their technology and improve services.
During the webinar, Waleed bin Salman spoke about the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 and the Dewa Energy Strategy, while Dr. Yousef Al Akraf highlighted the projects and business opportunities that Wetex and Dubai Solar Show provide. Marwan Bin Haidar focused on the smart meters services and the green data centre of Data Hub Integrated Solutions LLC (Moro Hub), a subsidiary of Digital Dewa, the digital arm of Dewa. Sandra Papet also delivered a speech at the end of the webinar.