Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers to be first 5G-powered smart district

Etisalat Digital has partnered with DMCC, the world’s flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, to transform Jumeirah Lakes Towers, JLT, into an innovative smart and sustainable district powered by the 5G network.

This move will make the DMCC and the JLT community the first smart and sustainable district of its kind in the region. The innovation-led initiatives are scheduled to begin later this month.

Commenting on the announcement, Feryal Ahmadi, CEO of DMCC, said, “This is an exciting announcement and one that will come as welcome news to everyone connected to DMCC, the JLT community and the emirate of Dubai, as a whole. DMCC’s Smart and Sustainable District Strategy is about the intelligent application of data and technology to deliver a better quality of life for thousands of residents and companies at the JLT.” “The smart solutions planned will accelerate our sustainability drive and increase safety, reduce health risks, reduce pollution, boost social connectedness, and ultimately deliver a cleaner and more sustainable environment for all,” she added.

Etisalat Digital will roll out smart devices, services and platforms to drive efficiencies across public amenities, energy consumption, assets and building management. Etisalat Digital will also provide smart solutions related to parking, street lighting, air quality, noise pollution, environmental performance and traffic monitoring. “Etisalat Digital’s strategic partnership with DMCC will transform the JLT community to become the first 5G-powered smart district in the region, making it a more seamless, efficient and safe experience for its members, residents and visitors. Both entities will work together to empower the community, reduce the environmental footprint, provide smart solutions to improve infrastructure and transportation, and deliver efficient public utilities,” said Salvador Anglada, Group Chief Business Officer at Etisalat.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, has confirmed that the energy used during Expo 2020 Dubai will be 100 per cent generated from renewable sources.

Dewa, which is building smart grids for the generation, transmission, and distribution systems to Expo 2020, has implemented a number of mega projects, including providing Expo 2020 with 422MW of renewable energy from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa told Emirates News Agency, WAM.

Dewa has allocated Dhs4.26 billion to support the electricity and water infrastructure of the event, he added.

“The total value of electricity projects implemented by Dewa to support Expo reached Dhs420 million, which included the construction of three major substations with a total capacity of 132/11 kilovolt, KV. The substations are named Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability after the three subthemes of Expo 2020,” Al Tayer said.

Expo 2020 will be a celebration of human innovation and creativity which aims to contribute to achieving a more sustainable future.

Al Tayer said, “This is what we are working on as part of our partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai as the Official Sustainable Energy Partner for the event.” Regarding emergency preparations at Expo 2020 Dubai, Al Tayer said that the Authority has an integrated system for risk management and institutional resilience to deal with various types of risks and threats in relation to the energy sector.

“A number of mobile power generators have been allocated to facilitate the connection of the power grid to Expo 2020 in case of an emergency,” Al Tayer added.

For his part, Ahmed Al Khatib, Chief Development and Delivery Officer at Expo 2020 Dubai, said, “Due to the great importance of water and electricity in any project, we started coordination with Dewa in the early stages of Expo 2020 Dubai. The integration of water and electricity networks into the construction plan is a complex undertaking that requires consideration of design and no waste of electricity and water infrastructure, so we started validating the master plan early in 2015.” “Dewa has played a key role in assisting and supporting Expo and ensuring that adequate and efficient infrastructure is in place to serve this site during the event,” he concluded.

Al Tayer said that Dewawill also install ‘Green Charger’ electric vehicle charging stations to encourage the use of environmentally-friendly cars.

Meanwhile, the UAE, represented by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Dewa, has maintained its first global ranking for the third consecutive year, with scores of 100 per cent in all the ‘Getting Electricity’ indicators in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report.

The report measures the ease of doing business in 190 economies around the world.

The Authority received 100 per cent scores in the procedures required to obtain an electricity connection. It also achieved 100 per cent in the time needed to complete each procedure.

In the costs associated with each criteria, Dewa waived the connection costs and security deposit for industrial and commercial projects requiring loads of up to 150 kilowatts, resulting in a score of 100 per cent, as well. It also achieved 100 per cent for the reliability and transparency of its tariffs.

WAM