Dewa and World Economic Forum discuss cooperation on sustainability

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), received a high-level delegation from the World Economic Forum (WEF) led by Alois Zwinggi, President and CEO of the Forum and Chair of the Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils, and discussed cooperation in sustainability, technology and economic development ahead of Davos 2027 Attending the meeting on Dewa’s side were Eng.

Marwan bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future, and Eng. Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence.

Al Tayer outlined Dewa’s clean energy projects, digital transformation initiatives and adoption of artificial intelligence and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. He also highlighted Dewa’s global achievements, including ranking first in 13 global Key Performance Indicators in its areas of work. Dubai recorded the lowest Customer Minutes Lost (CML) for electricity globally, averaging 0.82 minutes annually per customer, while losses in electricity transmission and distribution networks stood at just 2 per cent.

Al Tayer reviewed the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, which aim to provide 100 per cent clean energy by 2050. Among Dewa’s most important projects to achieve this goal is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world’s largest single-site solar park using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. The park’s capacity is planned to exceed 8,000 MW by 2030, up from the original target of 5,000 MW, contributing to reducing carbon emissions by more than 8.5 million tonnes annually, compared with 6.5 million tonnes under the original plan.

Al Tayer also discussed DEWA’s adoption of artificial intelligence over the past decade to improve operational efficiency and services.

He reaffirmed DEWA’s longstanding partnership with the WEF, noting that in 2018 it became the first government utility worldwide to join the Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a partner.

The partnership focuses on emerging technologies, anticipating future challenges and developing long-term strategies.

Meanwhile Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has transformed 16 of its 21 services into agentic artificial intelligence (AI)-powered services in less than 90 days, representing 76 per cent of its total service portfolio. The remaining five services will be completed within the next two months.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa, said that, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Dewa continues to advance the use of agentic AI across its operations. He said Dewa is among the first government organisations in the UAE to deploy the technology at this level, moving from AI models that support users and provide information to systems capable of autonomously executing end-to-end tasks and operations.

WAM