Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is the first government organization to adopt sustainability in its strategic plan to achieve long-term sustainability goals and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, said, “Our strategies and plans are guided by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build a more sustainable environment and find long-term solutions to challenges. This is in accordance with the UN SDGs.”
“As members of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), we support the substantial role played by the UN in encouraging sustainable progress and SDGs by aligning our work plans, initiatives, programs, and projects with them. During this period, there is an urgent need to mobilize global efforts to contain the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, enhance efforts to overcome poverty and inequality; as well as address climate change and develop strategic and vital sectors,” he added.
DEWA supports the UAE’s efforts to meet its global responsibility to fight climate change, increasing the share of clean and renewable energy in Dubai’s energy mix and it also keeps launching various environmental programs. One of DEWA’s key projects is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park which is the biggest single-site solar park in the world based on the IPP model to accomplish this goal.
This solar park will provide 75% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050 with a capacity of 5,000 MW (2030) and will decrease nearly 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year by supporting the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. With the efforts of DEWA, 22% net carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced in the year 2019.
In 2020, DEWA accomplished 91.2% in the Sustainability Culture Indicator which exceeded the worldwide results for organizations. The Sustainability Culture Indicator is based on various factors which are the innovation in sustainability, raising awareness of sustainability, leadership in achieving sustainability, the effectiveness of training, and strategic commitment to sustainability.
In addition to this, Shams Dubai is another initiative that assists owners to install photovoltaic panels and produce electricity from solar by connecting them to the power grid. By July end 2021, 6,794 sites were connected to DEWA’s solar power grid with a total capacity of 335 in commercial, residential, and industrial buildings.
From 2011 to 2020, DEWA’s environmental initiatives reached cumulative savings of 2.44 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity which is equivalent to saving AED 1.35 billion and decreasing 1.220 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
