HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has received a high-level delegation from the Romanian Senate headed by HE Alina Stefania Gorghiu, Vice President of the Senate. Other senate members included HE Eugen Tapu Nazare, HE Stefan Radu Oprea, HE Istvan Lorant Antal, HE Daniel Fenechiu, HE Lorand Turos, and HE Florian-Dorel Bodog.

The visitors reviewed the latest renewable and sustainable energy technologies, DEWA’s role in supporting the future of clean energy, the UAE’s strategies to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and areas of bilateral cooperation in clean and renewable energy technology solutions.

The meeting discussed increasing cooperation and advancing the contribution of Romanian energy and water companies to projects in Dubai and the UAE, as well as the strategic cooperation between DEWA and Romanian establishments in energy and water areas.

Al Tayer highlighted DEWA’s key projects, initiatives, and plans to realise the wise leadership’s vision to increase the share of clean and renewable energy. He said that DEWA works to achieve the objectives of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. One of DEWA’s projects to achieve this target is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world. It has a planned capacity of 5000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. The 4th phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site investment project that combines Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and photovoltaic technology using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. On its completion, the project will have the largest thermal storage capacity in the world of 15 hours, allowing for energy availability round the clock. DEWA also seeks to set two new Guinness World Records titles for the tallest solar tower in the world at 262.44 metres and the largest 700-megawatt CSP plant in the solar park.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park includes DEWA’s Innovation Centre, which is a pioneering global hub for renewable and clean energy innovation that is expected to shape the global future of sustainable energy. The solar park also houses the Research and Development (R&D) Centre, which supports DEWA’s efforts to anticipate the future, develop long-term proactive plans to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and innovate disruptive technologies to provide world-class services that enhance the quality of life in Dubai.

Al Tayer added that DEWA has launched pioneering projects and initiatives to diversify clean energy sources. These include all clean and renewable energy technologies in Dubai such as solar photovoltaic systems, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using solar power, stored water technology at Hatta hydroelectric power plant using clean energy, and research into electricity generation from wind power.

Al Tayer explained that these efforts contributed to achieving a significant reduction in carbon emissions in Dubai. Dubai reduced CO2 emissions by 22% in 2019 and 33% in 2020,  exceeding the target of the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021 by more than double. The strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021.

Al Tayer also highlighted the Green Hydrogen project, which is implemented at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. The pilot project is the first project of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to produce green hydrogen, which represents one of the pillars of a sustainable future that depends on accelerating the transition to carbon neutrality to support a green economy by developing the green mobility sector and reducing carbon emissions from various industries.

Al Tayer noted that a total of 8,000 buildings have been retrofitted in Dubai as part of the Building Retrofits, one of the Demand Side Management Strategy 2030 programmes. The strategy aims to reduce 30% of electricity and water demand by 2030. This contributes to making Dubai a globally leading hub in demand-side management.

Al Tayer added that DEWA has achieved competitive results in its global benchmarking, surpassing major European and American utilities. It has reduced losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks to 3.3% compared to 6-7% in the US and Europe.  DEWA has also reduced its customer minutes lost to 1.66 minutes, compared with 15 minutes recorded by leading utilities in the European Union. DEWA’s water network losses have decreased to 5.1%, compared to 15% in North America.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides emphasised strengthening relationships and exchanging experiences to support cooperation frameworks and reach effective and successful partnerships. This will develop investments in promising sectors and enhance the most prominent investment opportunities in the two countries.