Dewa cuts power and water losses

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Dubai: The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) managed to cut down its power and water losses in 2015, which is among the lowest worldwide.

Some amounts of power and water are generally lost during transmission or distribution from the plants to homes. Dewa has reduced this loss in order to maximise resources, reduce carbon emissions, and most importantly, limit interruptions, Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, said on Wednesday.

Al Tayer said this during Partners Appreciation Ceremony where Dewa recognised its partners for collaborating with it in achieving its goals last year.

For 2015, Dewa’s power loss was down to 3.3 per cent, a long way down from 7.03 per cent in 1998, while its waterline loss was down to 8.26 per cent from 42 per cent in 1998.

“This is the world’s lowest rate of power losses. Worldwide, the power loss is still at 6 to 7 per cent, India has 22 per cent,” Al Tayer told Gulf News.

Al Tayer said Dewa overhauled Dubai’s old system by replacing it with the new convergence system. New cables with new carrying capacities were laid out to reduce transmission and distribution losses. Other measures were also taken including using the Dubai Smart Soil as trench backfill materials to dissipate heat generated in the cable and allow it to function properly and not overheat or fail.

Al Tayer said reducing power and water losses means delivering reliable services with less interruption that ensures the happiness of every resident.

During the ceremony, Dewa recognised Dubai Municipality, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dubai Department of Economic Development, Department of Finance, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Police, Dubai Customs, Ministry of Finance, among others.

For the private sector, Dewa honoured SAP Middle East, EmiratesNBD, Microsoft Corp., Siemens Co., to name a few.

“We have different types of partners: the local partners within UAE and with them we were able to deliver our services fast and meet our requirements in terms of executing projects. There are also international partners where we buy technology or equipment from and there are other partners in Research and Development ultimately to improve our services,” Al Tayer said.

“Our cooperation is vital in enhancing our achievements, programmes, future and current projects in energy efficiency, clean and renewable energy efforts, innovation and creativity, and sustainability in addition to latest services and initiatives.”

By Janice Ponce de Leon Staff Reporter