No plans to raise water and electricity charges in Dubai, announces DEWA chief

There are no plans at present to increase or change water and electricity prices in the Emirate of Dubai, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), announced on Wednesday.

In statements to Emirates News, Al Tayer stated that the emirate enjoys a significant surplus in energy and water production, with energy production reaching approximately 18,000 megawatts.

In the water sector, Al Tayer noted that production capacity jumped from 470 million gallons to 550 million gallons per day, stressing that there are no supply shortages and completely ruling out the possibility of resorting to water rationing or distribution phasing options.

Talking about ensuring service continuity and uninterrupted service, Al Tayer cited DEWA’s advanced performance indicators in the energy sector, noting that the average loss per customer is less than two minutes per year, which is a significant achievement and an indicator of the high efficiency of Dubai’s network, compared to global averages.

As far as Dubai’s plans for self-sufficiency is concerned, Al Tayer revealed the existence of a strong strategic water reserve, as the current surplus water reserve amounts to about 220 million gallons, equivalent to approximately 30 per cent of the daily reserve.

DEWA has enormous storage capacities to ensure water security for all investors, citizens and residents in the country, he added, noting that the currently available storage capacity includes above-ground cement tanks with a capacity of 1.1 billion gallons and a strategic underground reservoir with an estimated storage capacity of 6 billion gallons.