HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), delivered a speech on ‘Innovative Electricity and Water Generation Projects to Improve Efficiency’ at the 5th World Government Summit, which is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Al Tayer talked about DEWA’s preemptive plans to anticipate the future with its key initiatives and innovative projects to improve the efficiency of electricity and water generation. DEWA is the Sustainable Energy Partner of the summit, on 12 to 14 February 2017, with the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments.’
“I am pleased to be here today at the World Government Summit, held under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority is the sustainable energy partner of the summit. Energy plays a vital role in the life of every individual, and is a pivotal challenge faced by the world today. Energy affects every aspect of life, including, job opportunities, security, climate change, the diversity of income, and, of course, sustainable development. According to the State of the Future report, launched earlier this year by the Dubai Future Academy in Davos, Switzerland, there are 1.3 billion people without electricity, while the world is trying to combat the effects of 40 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. These contribute to the Earth’s increasing temperature, resulting in global warming,” said Al Tayer.
“These issues are key discussion points among world governments to ensure energy security and sustainability, to make it affordable to everyone and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals to provide safe, sustainable, and affordable energy for all. The UAE has pioneered the implementation of strategies to make renewable energy the largest share of its energy mix, and improving energy efficiency and demand side management. This is a result of the forward-thinking vision of the wise leadership, led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, considering that the UAE is one of the largest oil-producing countries in the world. I would like to mention the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who once observed that, “The future is not something we wait for, but something we make.” I would also like to echo the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, about the UAE making early preparations to bid farewell to the last drop of oil. Our wise leadership believes that the implementation of our future policies will depend on the development of creative ideas and innovative solutions by the people of the UAE, who are the nation’s true wealth. This vision reflects a well-defined government approach to meet the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and develop an effective future government. Rapid developments in innovation such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Robots, are also integrated and closely connected with sustainable development,” added Al Tayer.
“Today, our country proudly celebrates world-class achievements and continues to maintain the global pace of proactive innovation to achieve social happiness, in adherence with the UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Plan 2021. In Dubai, we have adopted a holistic vision for the energy sector, covering issues such as energy security, energy efficiency, sustainability and its rational use. This will contribute to achieving the objectives set by the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50% by 2050. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to provide 7% of Dubai’s energy from clean energy sources by 2020. This target will increase to 25% by 2030, and to 75% by 2050. This will transform Dubai into an international hub for clean energy and green economy, and make it the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world. We are working to achieve the Demand Side Management Strategy, to reduce energy and water demand by 30% by 2030, and the Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021. The UAE’s interest in producing renewable energy has contributed to the decline of its global cost. Renewable energy is growing cheaper to produce, with bid prices for solar and wind power projects in Europe and the Middle East dropping to levels comparable with coal-fired thermal power, according to a recent Japanese study published by the Nikkei Asian Review,” noted Al Tayer.
The United Nations has defined sustainable development as the ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Dubai realises the importance of the balance between the shift to renewable and alternative energy and meeting the current and future needs for energy. We are innovating new and effective ways and techniques to enhance the security and efficiency of the energy sector. Over the past few years, Dubai has managed to reinforce its global position through leading projects, initiatives and plans in clean energy. Today, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has surpassed its counterparts from international organisations, with its extensive record of achievements and excellent performance indicators and results. In 2016, DEWA scored 3.28 customer minutes lost per year, compared to 15 minutes recorded by leading utilities in Europe and the USA. Losses in power transmission and distribution networks reduced to 3.3%, compared to 6-7% in Europe and the USA. Losses in water transmission and distribution networks decreased from 42% in 1988 to 8% in 2016, one of the lowest recorded rates in the world. The efficiency of fuel consumption in generation has reached a world record level of 90%. We are moving forward with the implementation of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. Upon completion, it will be capable of providing 25% of Dubai’s total power output by 2030, with a total capacity of 5,000MW. This will contribute to the reduction of over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually,” he added.
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