Dubai launches first-of-its-kind intelligent gas turbine controller

Dubai / WAM

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, and President of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), unveiled the world’s first thermodynamic Digital Twin Gas Turbine Intelligent Controller, which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), and machine learning, co-developed by the Dewa and Siemens.
HH Sheikh Hamdan unveiled the GT Controller during his inauguration of the 21st Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition and was briefed by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of the Dewa, on the system’s specifications, that a team of Dewa engineers, led by Emirati and Siemens experts, developed.
The Intelligent Controller improved turbine efficiency, increased its generation capacity, and reduced fuel consumption, which in turn has reduced harmful emissions. Once deployed across all gas turbines in the M-Station, the system will enable financial savings of AED17mn a year. The turbine is located at the M-Station in Jebel Ali, which is the largest power generation and water desalination plant in the UAE.
“At Dewa, we work in line with the vision and directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate sustainability within the economy, society, and the environment, using an integrated framework. This first-of-its-kind global achievement, made possible by the Dewa’s Emirati experts in collaboration with Siemens, supports our digitalisation efforts.”
Through Digital Dewa, we aim to disrupt entire business of public utilities by becoming world’s first digital utility and expand the use of integrated AI solutions to make Dubai the first city in the world that provides AI-based electricity and water services,” Al Tayer said.

“Our intelligent controller pilot project with the DEWA has been a success and it will help support efforts to make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050. We are ready to install these AI-driven controllers in more turbines, and to build on our long-term partnership with the DEWA as it continues its digitalisation journey,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO, Siemens Middle East and the UAE.
Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at DEWA, noted that the Intelligent Controller in the gas turbines went through several phases starting with the performance tests of 22 gas turbines by the generation division. This division then installed Thermodynamic Diagnostic Systems in 10 gas turbines to collect technical data to implement the smart system. A prototype of the automated response initiated by thermodynamic variables, piloted on the M-Station gas turbine number 11, was designed and applied to improve its performance and increase efficiency. Following the prototype success, an additional feature was added to increase the stability of the combustion systems and reduce emissions, which has resulted in a significant and continuous improvement in operational efficiency.