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Rotterdam, Kingdom of the Netherlands, 9 March 2016
A senior delegation, headed by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), is visiting the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The visit is strengthening ties, exchanging expertise, and promoting participation by Dutch companies in the first Dubai Solar Show, which will be held in conjunction with the 18th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2016) from 4 to 6 October 2016. WETEX is organised under the directives of HH 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 Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA.
The delegation includes Hussain Lootah, Executive Vice President of Transmission, Waleed Ali Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support & Human Resources, Matar Suhail Salem Al Mehairi, Vice President of Distribution Asset Management, Mohamed Al Shamsi, Vice President of Water & Civil Projects and Water Maintenance, Moza Al Akraf, CIO, Faisal Al Dashti, Senior Manager of Information Security, Ahmed Belarti, Senior Manager of Smart Services, Mohamed Abdulkarim Al Shamsi, Senior Manager of Sustainability & Climate Change, and Ahmed Abdullah, Senior Manager of External Communications.
During the visit, Al Tayer commenced his first meetings with Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, HE Abdallah Hamdan Al Naqbi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and high-profile representatives of Dutch companies operating in energy, water and environment. Al Tayer praised the efforts of the UAE Embassy in the Netherlands.
In his speech, Al Tayer highlighted opportunities for cooperation between Dubai and the Netherlands, the potential of the energy and environment sectors in the UAE, and cooperation on renewable and clean energy projects, and plans that Dubai has for the future.
"Our nation is blessed with leaders who have a real vision of a brighter future that incorporates sustainability at the heart of our daily lives. HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, have both mandated that Solar Energy and sustainability are essential to the future of our nation," said Al Tayer.
"The UAE's commitment to combatting climate change and developing renewable energy is already well-established. As well as supporting the COP21 accords in Paris, the UAE hosts the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency. Dubai intends to generate 75% of its total power output from clean energy by 2050. This target is part of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum last November," added Al Tayer.
"This strategy has defined our efforts to develop the efforts of our Emirate and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority to bring solar power to our citizens and residents. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world, will generate 1,000 megawatts by 2020 and 5,000 megawatts by 2030, which will save approximately 6.5 million metric tons per year in carbon dioxide emissions," added Al Tayer.
"This will mean our city will have the lowest carbon footprint in the world by then. Our nation is fully within the Sunbelt's higher levels of radiation and so our commitment to combatting climate change comes primarily in the form of harnessing that power to manage rising surface temperatures. And with a target for solar panels to cover Dubai's buildings by 2030, a vision can make the difference."
"We are working with international players to form public-private partnerships that are based on the independent power producer model to achieve these targets. We are on track to deliver a dedicated supply of 100 megawatts from the solar park to the World Expo 2020 that will take place in Dubai."
"Supporting these promises, requires the robust financing of the transition to a low-carbon economy. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 also includes a Green Fund that will contribute over USD 27 billion (AED 100 billion) to clean energy projects in the Emirate and will establish a Free Trade Zone specifically for green investments."
"We will deliver on our promises and plans that we have set for the future based on our efforts today to conserve natural resources and curb CO2 emissions to establish a clean and healthy environment for us all. DEWA is installing smart meters across Dubai as part of its smart grid strategy, and over one million such meters will be operational by 2020. Dubai has installed 100 electric vehicle charging stations across Dubai to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles. I have already mentioned our initiative to install solar panels across Dubai, which we call Shams Dubai. We have already seen companies such as Emirates Airline installing a one megawatt array of solar panels at its Engine Maintenance Centre, and DEWA has enrolled 143 contractors and consultants who will install these panels for the residents, businesses and industries of Dubai," added Al Tayer.
"I would now like to conclude with a brief mention about DEWA's motto, which is, 'for generations to come.' This is at the heart of what we do," concluded Al Tayer.
At the end of the function, Al Tayer presented an award to Al Naqbi, in recognition of the efforts made by the UAE Embassy to promote ties between the UAE and the Netherlands.
Salman presented the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar project in the world. It will produce 5,000MW by 2030. He also highlighted the Solar Innovation Centre, the Research and Development Centre, the Hassyan clean coal power plant that is based on the Independent Power Producer model (IPP), and DEWA's smart initiatives including Shams Dubai to install photovoltaic panels on rooftops to produce solar energy. He also highlighted smart grids, energy demand side management initiatives, and a number of other projects and initiatives.
Al Shamsi, who is also Acting Executive Director of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), gave a presentation about the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Awards and Suqia's initiatives to provide safe drinking water to an estimated five million people who suffer from potable water shortages worldwide.
Dr. Al Akraf made a presentation about WETEX and Dubai Solar Show, and asked Dutch companies to participate in WETEX 2016 in Dubai, where his invitation received positive feedback from attending companies.
As the world's renewable energy industry continues to grow, DEWA is organising the first Dubai Solar Show, which will be the largest of its kind in the region. It will be held in conjunction with WETEX 2016 from 4-6 October 2016 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Dubai Solar Show will be a key platform for the public and private sectors to make deals, build partnerships, review the latest solar-energy technologies, learn about current and future projects in the region and market needs, and explore opportunities to take part in solar-energy projects and programmes. Organising the show in conjunction with WETEX and the World Green Economy Summit is an opportunity to reach thousands of exhibitors, participants, officials, and decision-makers in the UAE, the Arabian Gulf, and the Middle East as a whole. Participants and visitors can benefit from the busy agendas of the two events, which feature conferences, workshops, and specialised activities. They can also meet experts and specialists from around the world to discuss developing solar energy and expanding its adoption in the region to achieve sustainable development.
WETEX 2016 is expected to see wide participation by international companies, leveraging on its position as an ideal platform for green solutions and products. This comes at a time when the UAE and Dubai are launching promising projects to consolidate the green economy and sustainable development. WETEX has succeeded in attracting large groups of international participants based on its 17-year experience that made it one of the best specialist exhibitions in the world.
At WETEX 2016, DEWA will share its experience with different players in the energy sector, as part of its efforts to explore potential investment opportunities with the private sector. WETEX 2016 will also showcase projects from different sectors such as water, where DEWA will provide insights into the efficiency and reliability of water transportation networks.
Projects on display at WETEX 2016 will include the M-Station power and desalination plant. Built at a cost of AED 10 billion, the M-station is the newest and largest power production and desalination plant in the UAE, with a planned capacity of 2,760 MW of electricity and 140 million imperial gallons of water per day (MIGD).
WETEX is an important annual environmental event for Dubai. In light of this, DEWA will also present its EV Green Charger initiative, a smart initiative launched by DEWA to promote the use of electric vehicles. This initiative is one of three initiatives led by DEWA to support the Smart Dubai initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to make Dubai the smartest city in the world.
DEWA will also promote its Smart Meters initiative at WETEX 2016. Smart meters will speed up service connections, improve response times, enable the instant reconnection of electricity, and rationalise consumption to enhance the happiness and well-being of Dubai's citizens and residents, as well as support sustainability. The benefits of smart meters include providing automatic and detailed readings for consumers to monitor actual use for a specific period of time, to better understand and manage their bills.
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For more information, please contact:
Ribal Dayekh or Noora Khoory
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
+971 4 307 2006
ribal.dayekh@dewa.gov.ae
noora.khoory@dewa.gov.ae
© Press Release 2016
