Dewa adds 700 megawatts of energy production capacity

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) announced that the total production capacity of energy has reached 14,117 megawatts (MW) after adding 700MW.

This includes 600MW from the Hassyan Power Complex, which runs on natural gas, and 100 MW from photovoltaic (PV) solar panels at the 5th phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which Dewa is implementing. It is the largest single-site solar park in the world using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, with a planned capacity of 5,000MW by 2030.

By adding 100MW from the 900MW fifth phase, the current production capacity of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, has reached 1,627MW using PV panels. DEWA is implementing other projects at the Solar Park with a total of 1,233MW using PV and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa, said, “We work in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide an advanced infrastructure that contributes to consolidating Dubai’s position as a preferred destination for living, working, investing, and visiting. It also meets the growing demand for electricity and water services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, efficiency, and quality. Dewa has outlined expansion plans for the energy and water infrastructure based on demand forecasts until 2031. We will continue to implement pioneering projects to diversify Dubai’s clean and renewable energy sources to include all available technologies in Dubai to achieve the wise leadership’s vision for a brighter and more sustainable future for generations to come.”

Al Tayer noted that the clean energy share in Dubai’s energy mix has reached 11.5 per cent and is expected to reach 14 percent by the end of 2022. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 percent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

The current production capacity of the Hassyan Power Complex has reached 1,800MW, using the IPP model. A further 600MW will be added in 2023. This will raise the capacity of the Complex to 2,400MW. The Hassyan Power Complex, which runs on natural gas, adds to the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Water Desalination Complex, which is one of the key pillars to providing Dubai with electricity and water services according to the highest standards of reliability, efficiency, and quality. Jebel Ali has a total production capacity of 9,547MW of electricity.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has announced recently the launch of an Automatic Smart Grid Restoration System (ASGR), the first of its kind in the Mena region, to increase the control, management, and monitoring of its power network.

The system works around the clock without any human intervention. It uses a smart, innovative, and central system that locates the fault in the power network, isolates it, and automatically restores the service. This improves grid automation, fault detection and retrieval of connections. It also supports Dewa’s efforts to maintain supplies according to the highest standards of reliability, accountability, and efficiency.

Speaking on the occasion, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said, “The Smart Grid is an integral part of Dewa’s strategy to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure for managing facilities and services using disruptive technologies and Fourth Industrial Revolution applications.

Dewa’s Smart Grid programme, with investments totaling Dhs7 billion, supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 per cent of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. “Dewa’s adoption of the latest international technologies in power generation, transmission and distribution, has made it one of the best utilities worldwide. In 2021, Dewa achieved a new world record in electricity Customer Minutes Lost (CML) per year.

Dubai recorded 1.43 minutes per customer, compared to around 15 minutes by leading utility companies in the European Union. This highlights Dewa’s ability to restore power during faults or unplanned outages. The percentage of losses in the electricity transmission and distribution networks in Dubai was 3.3 per cent, compared to 6-7 per cent in Europe and the US.”

Separately, Dewa has added several innovative improvements to its Customer Care Centre to ensure a consistent, integrated, and seamless experience for customers to complete their transactions anytime and anywhere.

The Centre includes a unified and advanced information base that enables employees to respond to customer enquiries faster and more accurately.

WAM