IDA Leaders Summit highlights rising demand for clean water

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Dubai has organised the International Desalination Association (IDA) World Congress 2019 under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa). the Congress with the theme Crossroads to Sustainability will run until October 24, 2019 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO of Dewa inaugurated on Tuesday the ‘IDA Leaders Summit’ during the second day of the IDA Congress. The summit brings together prominent water and energy sector leaders who discussed critical long-term sustainable solutions within the desalination and water reuse industry.

The exclusive platform underscored the ever-growing demand for clean water as well as key solutions to the mounting sustainability challenges amidst the growing threats of climate change.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO of Dewa said: “We are guided by the vision and directives of the wise leadership of 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 world’s leading nation. Dewa has also aligned its strategy to the UAE Centennial 2071, the UAE Vision 2021, the Dubai Plan 2021, the Dubai Demand-Side Management Strategy 2030, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, the UAE Green Growth Strategy, the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036, and other relevant strategies, all of which support the Sustainability.”

He added, “In Dubai, we have a comprehensive approach to ensure the sustainability of water resources in line with the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy, which focuses on enhancing water resources, rationalising water consumption, and using cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to reduce water consumption by 30% by 2030. To support the vision of our wise leadership, Dewa has a world-class infrastructure, with a capacity of 11,400MW of electricity and 470 million imperial gallons of desalinated water per day (MIGD) to meet the growing demand in Dubai. Dewa plays a vital role, serving over 900,000 customers, with investments of Dhs86 billion ($23.4 billion) over the next five years. We are currently desalinating water through the Combined Cycle Co-Generation, which is efficient and depends on using waste heat created by the production of electricity for water desalination. Dewa conducted a study to improve water production, and analyzed the economic and technical feasibility of adopting sea water Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology to produce water using cheap and clean energy in our planned water production expansion.”

It is expected that by 2030, Reverse Osmosis will help expand the production capacity by 305 million gallons of desalinated water per day, increasing total desalinated water production capacity to 750 million gallons of desalinated water per day, compared to 470 MIGD currently. Dewa adopts a clear strategy to ensure that by 2030, total energy requirements to meet Dubai desalinated water demand will be 100 per cent generated from clean energy sources using a mix of clean energy and waste heat. This will allow Dubai to exceed global targets for using clean energy to desalinate water.

In an attempt to increase the operational efficiency in decoupling desalination from electricity production, which can save around Dhs12 billion and reduce 39 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030 Dewa aims to adopt three pillars to ensure the sustainability of water production - All new desalination capacities will be based on latest sea water Reverse Osmosis Technologies, total energy requirement to meet 100 per cent Dubai desalinated water demand will be generated by clean energy sources by 2030 and Storage of Desalinated Water in Aquifers and pumping it back into the water network when needed. This integrated innovative model protects the environment and represents a sustainable economic solution. It also emphasizes Dubai’s ability to anticipate and shape the future.

HE added, “Dewa has made global achievements in its electricity and water networks. Losses in water transmission and distribution networks decreased from 42 per cent in the past to 6.5 per dent in 2018: one of the lowest recorded rates in the world. Dewa is doing this by leading rather than just following others, using the best international standards, practices and technologies, and today Innovation is at the core of our DNA. As we work to shape the future, Dewa’s efforts in creating innovative solutions have achieved great results, saving time, resources and efforts.”