Dewa raises awareness about sustainability, climate protection

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) organised a series of virtual awareness lectures in Arabic and English, in collaboration with Dubai Municipality to educate students about the importance of protecting the precious natural resources.

The lectures also introduced the students to the 8 natural reserves in Dubai, and their major role to achieve environmental balance. This celebrates the 25th National Environment Day, held this year with the theme ‘Climate Action Now.’

Dewa also launched an internal electronic competition and an awareness campaign on its official pages on social media as well as internal and external channels to encourage the public and Dewa’s employees to follow a responsible and sustainable lifestyle. This creates a positive impact and supports the nation’s efforts to achieve sustainable environmental development.

“We follow the steps of the Founding Fathers, and we support the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to promote sustainability and innovation, shift towards a green sustainable economy, and achieve maximum production efficiency. We are committed to increasing the share of clean and renewable energy. This achieves the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. To achieve this, we have the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5,000 MW in 2030. We have also launched pioneering projects and initiatives to diversity clean energy production. These included all clean and renewable energy technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar power, as well as green hydrogen, hydroelectric power in Hatta, and our wind power generation project,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.

Al Tayer highlighted that Dewa is working on Hassyan Complex which includes a water desalination project with a production capacity of 120 Million Imperial Gallons of Water per Day (MIGD) using Reverse Osmosis (RO) based on the Independent Water Producer (IWP) model. By 2030, 100% of desalinated water will be produced by a mix of clean energy that uses both renewable energy and waste heat. Dewa’s initiative of decoupling water production and electricity generation uses a mix of clean energy, comprising of solar power and waste heat. “We encourage the public to cut waste and ensure the sustainability of resources as well as using environmentally friendly vehicles and completing their transactions online. This stems from our belief that protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility, citizens, or residents. This is also in accordance with Demand Side Management Strategy 2030 to reduce 30% of the electricity and water demand by 2030,” added Al Tayer.

DEWA’s environmental efforts resulted in it winning the European Foundation for Quality Management Sustainable Development Challenge (EFQM SDG Challenge 2021). Dewa also received the 100% Paperless Stamp from Smart Dubai. Dewa has completed its electronic integration with 30 entities. The smart adoption of DEWA’s services reached 98.89% during Q4 2021. Dewa also won the Five Star Environmental Award from the British Safety Council and the Globe of Honour Award for Environment for the 10th consecutive year, one of just five organisations worldwide who got full marks. This places DEWA at the forefront of sustainable utilities, fully abiding with all environmental requirements and specifications locally and internationally with zero environmental violations at all its facilities.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority is participating in the 12th Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport as the strategic sponsor. The award is organised by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA highlighted DEWA’s support for all efforts to enhance sustainable transport in the UAE and abroad. This consolidates Dubai’s position as a global capital for a green economy and achieves sustainable development to ensure a brighter future for generations to come.

“As a member of the Dubai Green Mobility Initiative Committee, DEWA works closely with government entities and stakeholders from the private sector to adopt electric vehicles in Dubai. This supports the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to turn Dubai into the smartest and happiest city in the world. It also aligns with the Dubai Green Mobility Initiative 2030 to encourage sustainable transport in line with the Emirate’s strategic objectives in terms of sustainability, air quality, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Al Tayer.

“As a global logistics hub for transportation, Dubai aims to effectively manage emissions from the transport sector by creating effective solutions for green mobility in the UAE.”