MD&CEO of DEWA meets President of the Republic of Mauritius during Global Women's Forum in Dubai

Dubai, UAE, 22 February 2016: HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) met with HE Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of the Republic of Mauritius. Al Tayer emphasised that sustainability is one of key priorities of Dubai and the UAE, and was made evident by the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy. 

The meeting was held during Dr. Gurib-Fakim’s participation in the Global Women's Forum Dubai 2016, which is held for the first time in the region. The forum is co-organised by the Dubai Women Establishment and the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society on 23-24 February 2016 in Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. The Forum is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and led by HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs.

The meeting was attended by Jacqueline Franjou, CEO of Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment.

The meeting was also attended by Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water & Civil at DEWA, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, Abdullah Al Hajri, Executive Vice President of Customer Services, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications at DEWA, Moza Al Akraf, CIO of DEWA, Maryam Al Mutaiwei, Vice President of Human Resources, Branly Nassour, Vice President of Water P&E New Connections, Mohammed Al Shamsi Vice President of Civil Projects Engineering & Water Maintenance Engineering Projects, and Ahmed Abdullah, Senior Manager of External Communications at DEWA, along with other DEWA staff.

Al Tayer welcomed Dr. Gurib-Fakim at DEWA’s Sustainable Building, the first sustainable government building in the UAE, and commended her efforts to address sustainability through her writings and scientific research in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Al Tayer noted the importance of developing partnerships between the UAE and the Republic of Mauritius, as well as the international community, to tackle the effects of climate change, adopt best practices in sustainability, develop new renewable energy projects, support research and development, and contribute to mutual partnerships in all areas to develop relations between the UAE and Mauritius to the highest possible level.

“Sustainability has become a major priority for Dubai and the UAE. During the UAE Innovation Week held last November, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, to make Dubai a global centre for clean energy and green economy. It aims to provide 75% of the Emirate’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2050, making Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050. Our strategy involves moving from a carbon-intensive economy to a greener one, through the Dubai Green Fund, which is worth AED 100 billion (USD 27 billion), and encourages green investment and green growth,” said Al Tayer.

“In line with the directives of the wise leadership, as well as the goals of the UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Plan 2021, which focuses on sustainable development and protecting the environment, DEWA’s strategy contributes to Dubai’s sustainability by implementing clean and renewable energy projects, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of energy and water networks, launching awareness initiatives and programmes to promote public awareness on the importance of the sensible use of natural resources, and instilling a culture of rationalisation in society. DEWA invests in 9 programmes as part of the demand-side management strategy. These include green building regulations, retrofitting existing buildings, district cooling, wastewater reuse, laws and standards to raise efficiency, energy-efficient street-lighting, and the Shams Dubai initiative, which encourages building owners to install photovoltaic panels to generate electricity. We are working to retrofit 30,000 existing buildings and we have a strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021,” added Al Tayer.

Al Tayer noted that over the past few years, DEWA made significant progress in addressing energy security and efficiency, and promoting renewable energy sources. DEWA has developed plans and programmes for demand side management, energy efficiency and operational improvement. Under the smart grid strategy, DEWA will focus on different matters such as advanced metering infrastructure, asset management, demand side management, distribution automation, information technology infrastructure, substation automation, system integration, telecommunications, and efficiency, and the reliability and availability of its energy supply. Dubai is building a smart grid that is the first network in the world to cover all operations from generation, to transmission and distribution systems. This will significantly improve living standards in the Emirate.

“I’d like to take a moment to talk to you more about the building we are in today, which is the first sustainable government building in the UAE, and the largest government building in the world, to receive a Platinum Rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The Sustainable Building scored 98 out of 110 points for the rating criteria for the design set out by the US Green Building Council institute. The building saves 66% of its energy requirements by its renewable energy plant, which generates up to 660 kilowatts, and has reduced water consumption by 48%. I welcome you once again and look forward to your participation in the forum in support of comprehensive social and economic development. We will work together in pursuit of a brighter and better future for us all, and for generations to come,” concluded Al Tayer.

The visit included a tour in DEWA’s Sustainable Building. It included the Customer Service Centre, the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, the call centre, nursery, Knowledge Centre (library), the green roofs, and the photovoltaic panels used to supply the building with solar power.