HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), inaugurated the 7th Marsh Energy Industry Conference (EIC), organized by Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management, at the Westin Hotel in Al Habtoor City – Dubai.The Marsh Energy Industry Conference, formerly known as the NOC Conference, is a global platform that brings together industry leaders, key influencers and international experts from more than 45 countries, to discuss the most important challenges facing the world’s energy industry and opportunities for improvement, and the risks faced by energy manufacturers starting with exploring the fields of hydrocarbons to power generation and transmission. The conference will also review the most advanced tools and methods of risk management.
“I am pleased to be here today at the 7th Energy Industry Conference (EIC) organised by Marsh. To begin, I would like to thank the organisers of this conference, for this opportunity to share with you our initiatives, projects and achievements that support the vision and directives of our wise leadership represented 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, to make the UAE the best country in the world. We have many federal, and local strategies and road maps in place, to support economic growth and ensure clean, environmentally-friendly and sustainable energy,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, in the presence of Flavio Piccolomini, President-International Marsh .
“To achieve our vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility, DEWA has aligned its strategy to the UAE Centennial 2071, the UAE Vision 2021, the Dubai Plan 2021, the Demand-Side Management Strategy 2030, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, the UAE Green Growth Strategy and other relevant strategies. DEWA, as a provider of electricity and water, has an integrated value-chain from planning, generation, transmission, distribution and to delivering the best customer services. We are working to provide the finest government services and achieve the highest happiness rates to our stakeholders. However, the journey is a continuous one. DEWA’s role in this is vital by leveraging on 50 years of experience, serving more than 800,000 customers with total assets of over AED 144 billion. To support our wise leadership’s vision, we earned over 170 prestigious national and global awards and ranked number 1 among all government organisations for two consecutive cycles in the Dubai Government Excellence Program,” added Al Tayer.
“DEWA won the Global Excellence Award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), as the first organisation outside Europe and the first to win as a first-time applicant of this prestigious award. Through this pioneering achievement, DEWA is now in the Platinum category, which is the highest international rank in the Global Excellence Index. The UAE, represented by DEWA has obtained the first rank in the world in getting electricity, as per the World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 report,” continued Al Tayer.
“We focus on securing our supply by diversifying our energy mix, to provide 75% through clean energy by 2050. Meeting the clean energy objectives requires a capacity of 42,000MW of clean and renewable energy by 2050. Therefore, DEWA established the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar project in the world using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. The solar park’s capacity will be 5,000 MW by 2030, with investments totalling AED 50 billion. The solar park will contribute to reducing over 6.5 million tons of carbon emissions per year. This will reduce our carbon footprint and help us achieve the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021, which has a target to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021,” noted Al Tayer.
“We launched three smart initiatives to support transforming Dubai into the smartest and happiest city in the world: The Shams Dubai initiative, to encourage building-owners to install solar photovoltaic panels to produce electricity from solar power and connect them to DEWA’s grid. To date, we have over 800 solar systems with a capacity of 31 MW connected to the grid. The Smart Applications through Smart Meters and Grids initiative contributes to increased efficiency, allowing customers to optimise electricity and water consumption. The Green Charger initiative aims to establish the infrastructure and build electric vehicle charging stations, and we now have 100 charging stations and will have 200 before the end of the year. The smart grid with investments of AED 7 billion, is a key element in DEWA’s strategy to develop an advanced infrastructure to support Dubai becoming a smart and happy city.
In terms of performance indicators, we have achieved various global achievements. DEWA has achieved outstanding results, surpassing other utilities around the world. DEWA persistently meets 100% power and water demands, with near 100% reliability and availability, and world-class quality and efficiency throughout the year. In 2017, DEWA recorded 2.68 Customer Minutes Lost (CML), compared to 15 minutes recorded by leading utilities in Europe and USA. Losses in power transmission and distribution networks were reduced to 3.3%, compared to 6-7% in Europe and the USA. Water network losses (Unaccounted for water) decreased to 7.1%, compared to 15% in North America. Fuel consumption efficiency reached about 90%. By 2030, DEWA intends to have 100% of its desalinated water production to come from a mix of clean energy that uses both renewable energy and waste heat. DEWA’s Smart e-Adoption reached 90% and we achieved the target a year ahead of the deadline set by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. DEWA recorded a customer happiness score of 97% in 2017,” explained Al Tayer.
“Innovation is a part of DEWA’s DNA and throughout the years, DEWA’s efforts in creating innovative solutions have culminated in great results, saving both time and effort. We are keeping pace with the 4th Industrial Revolution, and adopting Artificial Intelligence(AI), robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to support the Dubai 10X initiative, which is set to propel Dubai towards the future, for a better future for generations to come. We launched a new initiative that reimagines the concept of service organisations and creates a new digital future for Dubai through Digital DEWA, the digital arm of DEWA. Digital DEWA will enable us to apply a pioneering model for service organisations based on innovation in renewable energy, storing energy, AI and digital services. DEWA aims to shift the status quo of service organisations and transform into the first digital organisation in the world, with self-control systems for storing renewable energy and expanding the use of AI and digital services,” added Al Tayer.
“Meeting the global demand for electricity, in a clean and green environment, and supporting the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs), will contribute to the sustainable development of all mankind. The diversity of energy sources, especially renewable energy, will enhance the quality of life, and contribute to achieving a brighter future worldwide. This will happen by developing the traditional energy industry, minimising its environmental impact, working to develop renewable and alternative energies, and increasing its share in the global energy mix,” concluded Al Tayer.