Dewa enhances clean energy cooperation with Chinese firms

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), led a high-level delegation to the People’s Republic of China to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and strategic partnerships between Dewa and Chinese companies, particularly in renewable energy.

The delegation also explored the exchange of global best practices in solar energy and storage technologies, supporting Dubai’s clean energy goals. Dewa is currently in the tendering stage for the seventh phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This phase will have 2,000 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar panels and 1,400MW battery energy storage system (BESS) capable of six hours of storage. Implemented under the independent power producer (IPP) model, it will be one of the world’s largest projects to combine solar energy and battery storage.

The delegation included Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence; Hussain Lootah, Executive Vice President of Transmission Power; Marwan bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future; Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources; Mohammed Jamea, Vice President of Clean Energy and Diversification; Ghanim Al Qassim, Senior Manager of Solar Energy and other engineers. Al Tayer noted that Dewa works with several major Chinese companies across various energy sectors, particularly clean and renewable energy. Many leading Chinese companies are involved in Dewa’s projects, notably the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world’s largest single-site solar park based on the IPP model.

During the visit, Al Tayer and the delegation visited Huawei’s headquarters, BYD’s headquarters, Tesla BESS factory, a Sungrow facility and the CRRC Zhuzhou Institute to learn about best practices and technologies in photovoltaic solar panels, energy storage systems, artificial intelligence applications, smart solutions and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

Last week, Dewa announced that its’s Green Hydrogen project has produced more than 100 tonnes of green hydrogen since its launch in May 2021.

Most of this was used to produce over 1.15 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean electricity via a hydrogen gas engine, helping to abate more than 515 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Over 11 tonnes were shipped to Enoc, which were used to fuel hydrogen vehicles at Enoc’s Service Station of the Future at Expo 2020 Dubai, and to power other industrial applications.

“The Green Hydrogen project supports the forward-looking vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate the competitive advantages of the UAE in the field of hydrogen.

The UAE ranks first in green hydrogen competitiveness, according to the Green Hydrogen Report 2024 by Alvarez & Marsal.

The project enhances Dewa’s efforts to support the National Hydrogen Strategy, the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 per cent of the energy production capacity from clean sources by 2050. It also supports the Dubai Green Mobility Strategy 2030, which aims to stimulate the use of sustainable transport in line with the emirate’s strategic objectives to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Al Tayer.

The Green Hydrogen project is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to produce green hydrogen using solar energy. Implemented in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens Energy, the project produces about 20 kilogrammes of hydrogen per hour, with a gas tank that can store up to 12 hours of hydrogen production. The stored hydrogen can be used for nighttime power generation through a hydrogen gas motor with a capacity of approximately 300 kilowatts of electrical energy.

The project has been built to accommodate future hydrogen applications across the energy, transport and industrial sectors.

Last month, Dewa reported its first half 2025 consolidated financial results, recording first half revenue of Dhs14.6 billion, EBITDA of Dhs7.0 billion, operating profit of Dhs3.7 billion, net profit of Dhs2.9 billion and cash from operations of Dhs9.2 billion.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said, “We are proud to report Dewa’s strongest-ever financial results for both the 2nd quarter and first half of 2025 - a reflection of disciplined execution, growing demand, and our commitment to operational excellence. In H1 2025, we achieved Dhs14.6 billion in revenue, Dhs7.0 billion in EBITDA, and Dhs2.9 billion in net profit - marking growth of 6.9%, 5.3%, and 13.2% respectively. Operating cash flow reached a record Dhs9.2 billion, up 61.3% year-on-year. Also, we approved a dividend of Dhs3.1 billion for H1, 2025, which is payable in October, 2025. To date we have invested over Dhs230 billion in state-of-the-art infrastructure.”

WAM