HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), welcomed the Rt Hon Grant Shapps, UK Secretary of State for Transport. The meeting was attended by Simon Penney, British Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Consul General of the United Kingdom to Dubai and the Northern Emirates; Nathan Cox, Deputy Director, Trade Division, UK Department for Transport; Elena Barcan, Head of Exports and Inward Investment, UK Department for Transport; and Sophie Curry, Exports Policy Advisor, UK Department for Transport. From DEWA’s side, the meeting was attended by Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and 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.

The visitors reviewed the latest renewable and sustainable energy technologies, DEWA’s role in supporting the future of clean energy and the UAE’s strategies to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, as well as areas of bilateral cooperation in clean and renewable energy technology solutions.

The meeting discussed increasing cooperation and advancing the contribution of British energy and water companies to projects in Dubai and the UAE, as well as the strategic cooperation between DEWA and British establishments in water, renewable and clean energy.

Al Tayer presented DEWA’s key projects, initiatives, and plans to realise the wise leadership’s vision to increase the share of clean and renewable energy. He also highlighted DEWA’s efforts to use all its resources to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and disruptive technologies to help make Dubai a sustainable and smart city.

Al Tayer said that DEWA works to achieve the vision and directives of the wise leadership in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. One of DEWA’s projects to achieve this target is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world. It has a planned capacity of 5000 megawatts (MW) by 2030.

Al Tayer added that DEWA has launched pioneering projects and initiatives to diversify clean energy sources. These include all clean and renewable energy technologies in Dubai such as solar photovoltaic systems, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using solar power, stored water technology at Hatta hydroelectric power plant using clean energy, and research into electricity generation from wind power.

Al Tayer also highlighted the Green Hydrogen project. The pioneering project was implemented at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. It is the first project of its kind in the MENA region to produce green hydrogen by water electrolysis, which is a promising and environmentally friendly source of energy. Green hydrogen represents one of the pillars of a sustainable future that depends on accelerating the transition to carbon neutrality to support a green economy by developing the green mobility sector and reducing carbon emissions from various industries.

Al Tayer also discussed DEWA’s hydroelectric pumped-storage power plant in Hatta, which is the first of its kind in the GCC, with a production capacity of 250 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours. He also highlighted the Green Charger, which DEWA launched to build the infrastructure for electric-vehicle charging stations in Dubai. So far, DEWA has installed over 300 Green Chargers across Dubai in collaboration with other entities.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides emphasised the strengthening of relationships and exchanging experiences to support cooperation frameworks and reach effective and successful partnerships. This will develop investments in promising sectors and enhance the most prominent investment opportunities in the two countries.