MD & CEO of DEWA receives Consul-General of Switzerland in Dubai

Dubai, UAE, 2 February 2016: HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) welcomed a Swiss delegation headed by Chris Watts, Consul-General of Switzerland in Dubai. The visit enhanced relations to support future cooperation between the two government bodies. The delegation also included Dr. Franco Vigliotti, Dean of EPFL (The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) Middle East, Satish Adurkar, member of the Executive Committee for the Swiss Business Council in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and Thomas Bohl, Director of Projects, Consulate General of Switzerland in Dubai. Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, EVP-Business Support and VP of Human Resources, DEWA, was also there. 

Al Tayer welcomed the Consul-General, noting the positive relationship between the two parties, as well as their successful joint efforts in renewable and clean energy. Al Tayer also presented DEWA’s current and future projects and strategic initiatives and discussed the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is managed by DEWA and is one of the largest single-site strategic renewable energy projects in the world. It is based on the independent power producer (IPP) model, with a planned total capacity of 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030. 

The Solar Park includes a Research and Development Centre (R&D), a solar-testing facility, an Innovation Centre, an academic centre, and a training centre. Al Tayer also talked about DEWA's Hassyan clean coal power plant, based on the IPP model. The first phase of the 1,200MW project is expected to be operational by 2020. Al Tayer concluded the session by speaking about DEWA’s smart grid project, and three smart initiatives that support the Smart Dubai initiative.  

The delegation commended DEWA on its continuous efforts to develop the energy sector in the UAE and in Dubai. They showed interest in DEWA’s current and future clean energy projects were keen to exchange skills, information and practices to contribute to Dubai’s sustainable development.