DEWA receives 35 representatives from Scandinavian nations at Sustainable Building

Dubai, UAE, 23 February 2016: HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) received a delegation headed by Mette Laursen, Founder of LinKS. The 35-member delegation represents various Scandinavian countries, and is participating in the Global Women's Forum in Dubai, which is being held for the first time in the region. 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 Mona Fekri, Head of Human Resources at DUCAB. 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, and other DEWA staff also attended.

Al Tayer welcomed the delegation, expressing his appreciation of the strong ties between the UAE and the Scandinavian region, which have resulted in partnerships in many areas of mutual interest. This reflects the commitment of both the UAE and Scandinavia to develop government processes based on sustainability and innovation.

“There are many great examples of the cooperation between our countries. This cooperation develops further every year, especially in trade, investment, innovation, and Research & Development. This supports the UAE’s efforts to adopt innovation as a building block in the drive towards economic prosperity. The UAE is shaping itself into a knowledge-based economy as a strategic national choice. Dubai and the UAE are home to many Scandinavian companies. In addition to the country’s strategic position on the world map, Dubai and the UAE provide a stimulating environment that encourages creativity and innovation. This includes a modern infrastructure, and regulations that protects everyone’s rights,” said Al Tayer.

“Officials from the UAE and Scandinavian countries frequently exchange visits to discuss further cooperation. I personally visited Copenhagen last year following an invitation from the Green Economy Foundation. I met Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of the City of Copenhagen, Jørgen Abildgaard, Executive Climate Project Director of the City of Copenhagen, and other officials. We discussed ways to build closer ties and exchange best practices and experiences on smart and green cities, and reducing carbon emissions. This supports our efforts to achieve the Smart Dubai initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world, enhance quality of life, and establish its position as a global role model for green economy,” added Al Tayer.

“To support the directives of our wise leadership, the UAE Vision 2021, and the Dubai Plan 2021, which both focus on sustainable development and protecting the environment, DEWA has a strategy to drive the sustainability of the Emirate by implementing renewable and clean 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 and energy demand management within society,” he added.

“I am glad to welcome you to this building, 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). It has achieved 98 out of 110 points as per the rating criteria for the design set by the US Green Building Council institute. The building saves 66% of energy consumption by using solar power production plant with a capacity of 660 kilowatts (KW), and reduces water consumption by 48%,” 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.