Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) recently hosted an online webinar. The event, inaugurated by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, served as a platform to introduce 61 prominent French companies to the vast business and investment opportunities available at the upcoming Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and Dubai Solar Show (DSS). Notable participants included EDF, ATOS, TotalEnergies, and Amerenco, representing diverse sectors.
WETEX and DSS is an internationally renowned exhibition in energy, water, green development, sustainability, and related sectors. It is the largest event of this kind in the region. The 25th edition of WETEX and DSS 2023 is set to take place from November 15 to 17, 2023, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. 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 Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, DEWA is organizing the 25th WETEX and DSS 2023.
The webinar witnessed the presence of distinguished personalities such as Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA; Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA; Marwan Bin Haider, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future at DEWA. Axel Baroux, the French Trade & Invest Commissioner and the Regional Director of Business France in the Middle East, and Sandra Papet, Head of the Industry & Cleantech Department of Business France in the Middle East, also attended the webinar.
During the event, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer extended a warm welcome to the participating French companies and institutions and expressed DEWA’s commitment to fostering collaboration and exchanging best practices. He emphasized the mutual benefits that such cooperation can bring to both the UAE and France. Al Tayer highlighted the strong ties between the two nations, which have flourished under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed 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. “French companies and investors in the UAE play an important role in strengthening the bonds of friendship and human and social relations, which positively reflects the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, and achieves common interests. International trade between the UAE and France rose by 49 percent over the past three years. The trade exchange between the UAE and France grew by 16.8 percent in 2022, reaching Dhs29.44 billion ($8 billion), compared to Dhs25.2 billion ($6.8 billion) in 2021,” commented Al Tayer.
The CEO further underscored the UAE’s clear strategy and goals for enhancing the share of clean and renewable energy sources in Dubai’s energy mix as he continued, “In line with the vision of our wise leadership, we have a clear strategy and specific goals to increase the share of clean and renewable energy in Dubai’s energy mix. In line with this direction of our government, we have launched pioneering projects and initiatives to diversify clean energy sources. These include different clean and renewable energy sources and technologies such as solar photovoltaic systems, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using solar power as a new clean energy source of the future, and pumped-storage hydroelectric power technology. We will continue to work hard to achieve these ambitious goals. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is part of DEWA’s efforts to support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to achieve 100% production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. Implemented through our Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, the solar park is the largest single-site solar park in the world, with a planned total capacity of 5,000MW by 2030, with an investment of AED 50 billion (USD 13.6 billion). Innovation is the cornerstone of our work ecosystem. We have established a Research and Development Centre and an Innovation Centre to develop effective solutions to address climate change by reducing carbon emissions. We have launched several projects that we are implementing at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. We have developed a green hydrogen pilot project, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa. We have also prepared the outline of a roadmap for a green hydrogen strategy that will be implemented in phases as part of our efforts to support the implementation of the net-zero by 2050 strategy. For many years now in Dubai, we have stopped launching new projects to produce energy using fossil fuels and restrict new water desalination projects to reverse osmosis technology using clean energy, in addition to raising fuel efficiency in the main production units to about 90%, competing with the highest international benchmarks. We have already moved away from the conventional engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) model for power and water production projects, to the Independent Power and Water Producer (IPWP) model, which has proven highly beneficial for DEWA. Today, DEWA has a strong world-class infrastructure to meet the ever-increasing demand, support the growth of a green economy, and create a competitive advantage for generating clean energy and adopting energy-efficiency technologies.”
Al Tayer further highlighted the successful public offering of DEWA, closely followed by its majority-owned subsidiary Empower. The record demand of over AED 315 Billion (USD 85.8 billion) and oversubscription of 37 times reflected DEWA’s robust financial track record and served as a testament to Dubai’s leadership’s vision and commitment to creating a sustainable future.
The webinar also featured presentations by DEWA executives, including Waleed bin Salman, who provided insights into the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 and DEWA Energy Strategy. Dr. Yousef Al Akraf highlighted the numerous projects and business opportunities available through WETEX and Dubai Solar Show. Marwan Bin Haidar focused on the significance of smart meters and the green data center of Data Hub Integrated Solutions LLC (Moro Hub), a subsidiary of Digital DEWA.
