Dubai plans to invest $10.9 billion in power and water projects over the next five years, with a focus on renewable energy, clean energy, and electricity and water transmission and distribution networks to meet the emirate's growing needs. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority said in a statement that the new investment will cover the Hassyan Power Complex and Water Project in Hassyan, in addition to the completion of other ongoing projects in terms of infrastructure and smart systems. The investment plan announced in April comes as Dubai's energy demand continues to grow, with a year-on-year growth of 6.3% in the first half of 2022, driven by the city's continued economic recovery.

Saeed Al Tayer, managing director, said Dewa plans to invest around Dh16 billion to strengthen and expand the electricity and water transmission and distribution network, and around Dh12 billion to complete the IPP project at the Mohammedbin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. AED 3 billion will also be invested to expand UAE Central Cooling Systems, which is 70% owned by Dewa. This investment will primarily be used to expand district cooling capacity and networks. Mr. Al Tayer said, we are striving to provide advanced infrastructure that meets sustainable development requirements. Business activity in the non-oil private sector improved at the fastest pace in three years and new orders rose sharply despite inflationary pressures.

The UAE’s energy demand reached 23,096 GWh in the first six months of 2022, compared to 21,729 GWh in the same period last year. Dewa has a production capacity of 14,117 megawatts per day of electricity and 490 million imperial gallons of desalinated water. It currently serves over 3.5 million Dubai residents and over 4.7 million active daytime population in the emirate.

By 2040, these numbers are expected to grow to 5.8 million and 7.8 million, respectively. The latest plan also aims to promote a favourable and supportive investment climate in Dubai. Mr. Al Tayer said the utility company is taking steps to promote cooperation between the public and private sectors and provide promising investment opportunities. We have established strategic partnerships with several local and international companies to implement renewable energy and desalination projects under the IPP model. The utility is currently implementing Dubai’s Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and Dubai’s Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, as part of which the emirate aims to ensure 100% of its energy production capacity by 2050 from clean energy.

Dewa is developing the Mohammedbin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world's largest single-point solar project, which will be completed by 2030 with a total investment of AED500 billion and a capacity of 5,000 megawatts. Dewa's digital division also broke ground in December on the first phase of the largest solar data center in the Middle East and Africa. The carbon-neutral green center with a capacity of over 100 MW will be operated by MoroHub, a subsidiary of Digital Dewa, located in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, and will use 100 percent renewable energy.Editor/XingWentao