HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), today inaugurated the 21st Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2019) and the 4th Dubai Solar Show. DEWA is organising the exhibition 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. DEWA is organising the two exhibitions under the umbrella of the 6th Green Week from 21—23 October, 2019, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, with 2,350 exhibitors from 55 countries.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum was welcomed by HE Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of DEWA; HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO of DEWA and Founder and Chairman of WETEX; Abdullah Mohammed Al Hashimi; Majed Hamad Al Shamsi; and other DEWA Board Members.
Also present at the opening ceremony of WETEX 2019 were HE Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; HE Abdulrahman Al Saleh, Director General of the Government of Dubai’s Department of Finance; HE Saeed Al Kindi; HE Rashid Bin Fahad; HE Ahmad Mohammed Bin Humaidan, Deputy Director General of The Ruler’s Court; HE Ahmed Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Abdulrahman Al Awar, Director General at the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR); HE Dawood Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality; HE Helal Al Marri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing; HE Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of Dubai Land Department; Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; HE Abdulnasser bin Kalban, CEO of DUBAL Holding; HE Saif Al Falasi, CEO of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC); HE Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower); HE Ali Rashid Al Jarwan, CEO of Dragon Oil; HE Salem Almoosa; HE Essa Al Maidoor; and officials from the public and private sectors. DEWA staff and media representatives also attended the ceremony.
Following the opening ceremony, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, and other VIPs, toured the exhibition and were briefed about various innovations, solutions and new products such as energy and water desalination, green technologies, clean and renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and oil and gas.
His Highness inspected the DEWA pavilion. He then launched the Intelligent Gas Turbines Controller that DEWA developed in collaboration with Siemens, to control gas turbines at energy production plants. It is the first of its kind in the world.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer briefed His Highness about various DEWA projects, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world’s largest single-site strategic renewable energy generation project based on the independent power producer (IPP) model. This will have a 5,000 megawatt capacity by 2030, at an investment of AED 50 billion. In cooperation with Dubai Expo 2020 and Siemens, DEWA is implementing the first green hydrogen project in the Middle East and North Africa, where the hydrogen produced will be stored and used for different purposes.
His Highness was briefed about the Smart Response Initiative for technical reports on electricity and water consumption. This allows customers to self-diagnose technical faults inside homes and reduce the number of steps involved by resolving it directly through the DEWA smart application and its website. This is increasing the experience of customers and improving services efficiency.
His Highness was briefed on some of DEWA’s most prominent projects such as the Smart Grid Station (SGS), which combines the concept of networks and smart homes. A model of the new DEWA headquarters, the Al Shera’a building, which will be the tallest, largest and smartest public net Zero Energy Building (ZEB) is also on display. There will also be model of the Hatta hydroelectricity power station, the first of its kind in the region, which will have a 250MW capacity.
At WETEX 2019, DEWA is displaying its Shams Dubai initiative that encourages building owners to install solar photovoltaic panels to produce clean energy and connect it to the grid, with 1,355 buildings connected to the grid with a total capacity of 13 MW by October 2019, in addition to its Green Charger initiative that establishes the infrastructure and charging stations for electric vehicles. DEWA has completed the installation of 200 stations throughout Dubai.
Also, DEWA’s virtual employee that depends on Artificial Intelligence was on display. Rammas is available 24/7 in Arabic and English on DEWA’s Whatsapp business platform, DEWA’s website and smart app (iOS and Android), DEWA’s Facebook page, and through Amazon’s Alexa service and Google Assistant, and in robots. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum was also briefed about DEWA’s Conservation stand. At the stand, DEWA highlights its most remarkable initiatives and programmes to encourage society, young people and school students in particular, to adopt sustainable lifestyles to reduce electricity and water consumption and protect the environment.
His Highness also visited group of national and international pavilions, including the pavilion of the People’s Republic of China, which hosts the largest number of Chinese companies specialised in water, energy and environment. Almost 110 Chinese companies are participating in WETEX and DSS. The Italian pavilion includes 22 companies. His Highness then visited the ENOC, Masdar, ACWA Power from Saudi Arabia, Siemens, ABB, Dubai Expo 2020, Empower, MORO, Ducab, the stands of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Municipality, Etihad ESCO, and other stands.
WETEX has become the largest exhibition of its kind in the region and one of the largest specialised exhibitions in the world. It is an annual event for companies and organisations from the energy, water, environment, oil, gas, green development and related sectors from the region and the world to display their solutions and products while also discussing the latest technologies and innovations. WETEX 2019, under the theme ‘At the forefront of sustainability,’ is the largest version since its launch, it covers an area of 85,000 square metres.
WETEX and Dubai Solar Show provide visitors the opportunity to benefit from a busy agenda of seminars, meetings, workshops and specialised activities that host international experts to discuss the development and expansion of solar power in the region to achieve sustainable development. The two exhibitions also provide a platform for companies and organisations working in these sectors to promote their products and services, meet with officials and investors from around the world to make deals, establish partnerships, learn about the latest technologies in these vital sectors, identify market needs ,and the most prominent current and future projects in the region, especially with significant expansion in the transition towards clean and renewable energy in the UAE and the region.
WETEX 2019 features a dedicated hall for Green Week to raise community awareness about the importance of rationalising consumption of electricity and water. It is doing this by launching strategic initiatives, workshops, and activities for all members of the community. These raise awareness about the importance of green practices, and attract a selection of specialised organisations in electricity, water and the environment. It also facilitates discussions on the most important issues related to the conservation of natural resources and energy conservation. This is an urgent requirement to build a safer and sustainable future for generations to come. Green Week also organises workshops for public sector employees, social networking events, competitions and public presentations at malls, youth seminars and volunteer awareness campaigns, sessions especially for People of Determination in the Innovation Hall, and hosts meetings for entrepreneurs.
Green Corner also provides an opportunity for innovators, inventors and innovators from schools and universities to present their green and sustainable projects. The three-day seminars feature interactive topics, such as artificial intelligence, energy efficiency, smart grids, new technologies in solar photovoltaics, carbon emissions reduction, green hydrogen-based mobility systems, and the latest electric vehicle technologies and developments in solar powered desalination.