DUBAI, UAE – MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer received a high-level delegation from the EDF Group (Électricité de France) headed by Luc Remont, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Al Tayer also received a delegation from Cuba headed by Dr. Antonio Rodríguez, Minister-President of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources of Cuba.
The meetings were held at DEWA’s stand at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi.
Al Tayer discussed DEWA’s projects in sustainability, renewable and clean energy in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 percent of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
One of the key projects DEWA is implementing to achieve this goal is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.
It will have a production capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030. The current production capacity of the solar park is 2,027 MW, which is about 14 percent of the total energy production capacity in Dubai.
Al Tayer also talked about the latest developments in the pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant that DEWA is building at Hatta Dam. EDF is the project’s consultant.
The plant will have a production capacity of 250 MW, a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours and a lifespan of 80 years.
This station is the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf region and is expected to be complete in fourth quarter of 2024.
Al Tayer highlighted DEWA’s projects to achieve the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036, which aims to ensure sustainable access to water during both routine and emergency conditions as well as address future water security challenges.
Al Tayer underlined Dubai’s comprehensive approach for the sustainability of water resources in line with the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy 2030, which focuses on enhancing water resources and using cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions.
The French delegation included Beatrice Buffon, Senior Executive Vice-President; Errki Maillard, Senior VP EU Affairs for EDF; Bruno Bensasson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EDF Renewables; Valerie Levkov, Senior Vice President Africa, Middle East & East Mediterranean and other officials from EDF.
The Cuban delegation included Sergio Espinosa Moré, Director of Commercial Policy with Africa and Middle East in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment; Manuel Font García, General Director of the import-export company Cubahidraulica, and Ailyn Martínez Sarduy, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Cuba to the UAE.
The visiting delegations praised DEWA’s efforts in developing a pioneering infrastructure in Dubai, especially in clean and renewable energy as well as water desalination, transmission and distribution.
From DEWA, Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Excellence; Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, and Marwan bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future attended the meeting.