Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is participating in Expo Milan 2015, with a delegation headed by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

Expo Milan 2015 is organised under the theme ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.' DEWA has a stand at the pavilion of the UAE, which is preparing to host Expo 2020 in Dubai. DEWA is highlighting Dubai's position as a global role model for energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainability, creativity and innovation, and attracting investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Expo Milan 2015 is held from 1st May to 31st October 2015. It is a global event that runs for 6 months. It brings together governments, international businesses, experts, investors, and researchers from all over the world. The exhibition aims to raise awareness, education and stimulate debate on the topics of food production, sustainability, health, and energy.

The delegation to Expo Milan includes Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at DEWA, and other officials from DEWA.

"Our participation in the exhibition supports the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021. We will highlight our successes and initiatives that support Dubai's global position and its leading role in providing future opportunities and implementing promising projects. We will showcase the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, which was launched by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, to diversify Dubai's energy mix, reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030, and increase the share of renewable energy in Dubai's total power output to 7% by 2020 and 15% by 2030," said Al Tayer.

"We also present the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which DEWA is operating. It is one of the largest strategic renewable energy projects in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, with a planned total capacity of 1,000MW by 2020 and 3,000MW by 2030. The 13MW first phase became operational on 22 October 2013. The 200MW second phase will be operational by 2017. The Solar Park includes a Research and Development Centre (R&D), a solar-testing facility, an Innovation Centre, a University, and a training centre. Dubai has another leading energy project, which is the Hassyan clean-coal power plant, which is based in the IPP model. The first phase of the 1,200MW project will be operational by 2020," he added.

"We will also highlight DEWA's Sustainable Building in Al Quoz, 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 building uses 66% less energy and 48% less water. Renewable energy is available through an on-site 660kW solar power plant," Al Tayer said.

DEWA will present smart initiatives that support the Smart Dubai initiative to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world in three years through 100 initiatives and 1,000 smart services to enhance living standards in Dubai and achieve its sustainable development. The first initiative, Shams Dubai, encourages building owners to install photovoltaic solar panels to generate electricity. The electricity generated is used on the premises with the surplus exported to DEWA's grid.

He added that this encourages the use of renewable energy, increases its share in the energy mix, and diversifies energy sources. The second initiative, smart applications and meters, includes using smart meters and smart grids that contribute to fast-service connection, fast response, and rationalise energy use.

Al Tayer noted that the roadmap for smart electricity and water systems is valued at Dh 7 billion. "This builds a strong communication infrastructure to support the demand-side management programme and connection of renewable energy resources. DEWA has started the smart-metre infrastructure project. It plans to install 1,200,000 new smart meters for new connections and replace all mechanical and electromechanical meters within the next 5 years. The third initiative is to establish the infrastructure to build 100 electric vehicle charging stations (Green Charger) this year. DEWA has already established 16 Green Charger stations and will install 84 more stations this year," added Al Tayer.

In terms of benchmarking, he continued "we will highlight DEWA's competitive results, which have surpassed leading European and American companies by reducing losses in power transmission and distribution networks to 3.26%, compared to 6-7% in Europe and the USA. Water network losses decreased to 9%, compared to 15% in North America, achieving global results in reducing water losses. DEWA's results are among the best internationally for customer minutes lost per year. DEWA's figures reached 4.9 minutes, compared to 15 minutes recorded by leading utilities in the European Union."

The UAE, represented by DEWA, has been ranked fourth globally and first in the Middle East and North Africa for the second consecutive year for getting electricity as per the World Bank's Doing Business 2015 report.