Under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA, the 18th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2016, has begun today and will take place from 4-6 October at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, under the theme ‘At the Forefront of Sustainability.’
Organised under the umbrella of the third Green Week, DEWA also commenced the first Dubai Solar Show, where HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, inaugurated both shows along with HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, and Founder and Chairman of WETEX.
The opening ceremony was also attended by HE Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, HE Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of DEWA, HE Dr. Matar Neyadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy, HE Helal Al Marri, Director General of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai, HE Khaled Al Kamda, Director General of the Community Development Authority, Fahad H. Al Mohannadi, General Manager and Managing Director of Qatar Electricity and Water Corporation, HE Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Energy, HE Saif Humaid Al Falasi, CEO of ENOC, HE Mohamed Jameel Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, HE Ali Rashid Lootah, Chairman of Nakheel, HE Ahmed Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, HE Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, CEO of DUBAL Holding, Frode Mauring, UNDP Special Representative, and a number of ambassadors and Consul Generals, economic and trade delegates, officials, experts, and senior members of DEWA and the Supreme Council of Energy, and the media.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Al Tayer, and the officials toured the exhibition where His Highness was briefed by exhibitors from over 46 countries on their featured products and solutions. The show hosted 18 national pavilions and attracted the participation of 29 government bodies.
At its pavilion, DEWA was explaining its journey of achievements over many years through a large television screen. Also, it highlighted Al Namoos, a bespoke service to provide consultants and contractors with electricity connections of up to 150 kilowatts (kW) within 10 days. This service supports DEWA’s efforts to achieve its vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility by updating consultants and contractors on DEWA’s latest initiatives for continuous improvement, and identify recommendations to streamline and accelerate services to get electricity, according to world-class practices.
DEWA is also displaying through its smart model its latest achievements and projects in renewable and clean energy as well as clean coal technologies and smart networks to spread the concepts of sustainability in energy, water and environment. It is making strong strides in green economy and sustainable development, smart cities, and other relevant areas.
DEWA is also displaying the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a capacity up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) by 2020, and 5,000(MW) by 2030, with investments reaching AED 50 billion. This project will help transform Dubai into a world centre for clean energy and green economy. It also supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 7% of Dubai's power from clean energy by 2020, and 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050.
The Smart Dubai initiative, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to turn Dubai into the smartest city in the world, occupied a special corner in DEWA’s pavilion. The first initiative is Shams Dubai to connect solar energy in buildings by installing photovoltaic panels to produce electricity where electricity is used in the building and the surplus is exported to DEWA grid. Also, Dubai aims to put solar panels on all the buildings by 2030. DEWA also highlighted the Green Charger, which creates the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations, to reduce air pollution and protect the environment from the effects of the transport sector in the Emirate.
In order to achieve its strategy for the establishment of an intelligent and effective infrastructure and adopt best practices with a focus mainly on improving customer service, DEWA is displaying at WETEX its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) that is used in the Sustainable Building at Al Quoz, monitors and controls water distribution networks in Dubai, covering a distance of over 2,500 km as well as several pumping stations and reservoirs. This also has a wireless communications network that links over 450 Remote Terminal Units (RTU) with the SCADA system enabling the measurement of various data in the network.
Also on display is a new model for the new headquarters of DEWA, called Shiraa, as well as the Hassyan clean coal power plant that is based on the IPP model and will generate 2,400 megawatts (MW). This plant will be operational by 2020 and it is the first project of its kind in the region according to the highest international standards. Al Tayer said that the project is key to DEWA’s future plans as it promotes renewable sources of energy that are environmentally-friendly.
“We are very pleased to celebrate success with our partners and stakeholders and all segments through WETEX, so we invite everyone to visit our stand at the exhibition and communicate with our team over the next three days,” said Al Tayer.
Al Tayer added that the display of services and innovative projects and initiatives at WETEX supports the directives of the wise leadership to consolidate the competitive position of UAE to become one of the best countries in the world by achieving the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a smart and sustainable city, to achieve the happiness and well-being of its citizens and residents.
Following that, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, visited the first Dubai Solar Show, organised by DEWA, which is the largest of its kind in the region. This forms with WETEX a single integrated platform with a wide range of clean and renewable energy on display. Dubai Solar Show 2016 is highlighting the latest solar energy technologies and their important role in supporting sustainable development, particularly in the region. The show is displaying the latest technologies of this sector as it is gathering experts, manufacturers and vendors in one location to discuss the needs of solar energy initiatives, solutions and technologies. The show also acts as a catalyst for the establishment of solar power plants in many places around the world and complements WETEX’s role by displaying renewable energy solutions in an integrated manner and in one place.
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