STRIVING for success
DEWA HAs ACHIEvED unprECEDEntED suCCEssEs to BEComE onE oF tHE worlD’s BEst utIlIty provIDErs.
As Dubai drives digital transformation across all sectors and industries, how is DEWA pioneering this transformation in the public sector?
We are working toward a new digital future through Digital DEWA, our digital arm, which aims to disrupt the entire business of public utilities by becoming the world’s first digital utility provider based on four pillars: launching advanced solar power technologies; deploying a renewable energy grid with innovative energy storage technologies; expanding the use of integrated AI solutions to make Dubai the first city to provide AI-based electricity and water services; and the MORO data hub that provides advanced and innovative digital solutions, locally and globally. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2050. To achieve this, DEWA launched several renewable programs and initiatives, including 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 capacity of 5,000MW by 2030. Upon completion, the solar park will reduce over 6.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. DEWA has adopted the IPP model in the solar park’s projects to promote PPPs. Through this model, DEWA achieved the lowest international prices for electricity for the fifth time.
“DEWA exchanges best practices and expertise with leading international organizations, and its practices are benchmarks for utility providers around the world.”
Having led delegations to Singapore and China, how is DEWA both learning from and contributing to global best practices?
DEWA exchanges best practices and expertise with leading international organizations, and its practices are benchmarks for utility providers around the world. DEWA has achieved extremely competitive results in global benchmarking, surpassing major European and American utilities. In customer minutes lost per year, DEWA’s figures reached 2.39 minutes, compared to 15 minutes recorded by leading utility provider in the EU. DEWA has reduced losses in power transmission and distribution networks to 3.3%, compared to 6-7% in Europe and the US. Water network losses fell to 6.5%, one of the best results in the world. The UAE, represented by DEWA, has maintained the top ranking for the third consecutive year for getting electricity in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report, achieving 100% in all criteria.
How is DEWA promoting innovation and intellectual property standards to drive technological and economic growth in the Emirate?
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Dubai 10X initiative to mandate the government of Dubai to become a global leader that is 10 years ahead of all other cities through government innovation and reshaping the way things are done. To achieve this initiative, DEWA is committed to incorporating innovation in all its strategies and initiatives, as well as adopting disruptive technologies. We are also committed to sharing expertise and best practices in these sectors and have strategic partnerships with global technology leaders. DEWA is the first government utility in the world to join the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a partner.
How is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project implementing the latest technologies?
Its fourth phase is the largest single-site solar IPP project in the world that combines concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic technology with a capacity of 950MW. It will use 700MW of CSP; 600MW from a parabolic basin complex and 100MW from a solar tower; and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels. The project will feature the tallest solar tower in the world at 260m. It will also have the biggest global thermal storage capacity of 15 hours, allowing for energy availability around the clock. The fourth phase achieved the world’s lowest CSP LCOE of USD0.073 per kWh and the lowest LCOE for photovoltaic technology of USD0.024 per kWh. DEWA has achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of USD0.016953 per kWh for the 900-MW fifth phase of the solar park using PV solar panels, based on IPP. This phase will become operational in stages starting from 2Q2021. ✖