Dubai, UAE: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) issued an official communiqué stating that a delegation led by H.E. Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy, visited its Sustainable Building in Al Quoz, and it was received by H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
H.E. Al Mazrouei, the communiqué informed, was accompanied by H.E. Fatima Al Foora Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Electricity, Clean Energy and Desalinated Water, Talal Al Fulaiti, Director of the Minister’s Office, and Alia Al Yasi, Director of the Government Communications Department, at the Ministry of Energy. The meeting, the communiqué added, was also attended by Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water & Civil at DEWA, Abdullah Al Hajri, Executive Vice President of Customer Services at DEWA, Marwan Bin Haidar, Chief Advisor – Innovation and The Future, and Mohammed Al Shamsi, Vice President of Civil Projects Engineering & Water Maintenance Engineering Projects at DEWA.
According to the utility, the visit is one of a series of visits by the Minister of Energy to local energy organisations to enhance communications between the Ministry and its strategic partners, and to develop cooperation in diversifying the energy mix to achieve the sustainable development.
The delegation, the communiqué revealed, was given a tour of DEWA’s Sustainable Building, said to be the largest government building in the world to receive a Platinum Rating for Green Buildings, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, the Knowledge Centre (library), the green roofs, the electric vehicles charging stations and the photovoltaic (PV) panels used to supply the building with solar power, among others.
DEWA informed that H.E. Al Mazrouei also visited the Customer Care Centre that employs the use of two unique services: The Ash’ir (Arabic for ‘to signal’) service, a live video-chat service that uses sign language for the speech- and hearing-impaired customers to communicate directly with DEWA’s call centre staff, while the Hayak service provides video-chat service that allows customers to communicate directly with the staff.
“DEWA’s Sustainable Building reduces energy and water use by conserving precious natural resources and promoting dependence on clean and renewable energy,” noted Al Mazrouei. “It supports our efforts to protect the environment and achieve the long-term goal of Dubai’s sustainable development, and create a better future for generations to come.”
Al Tayer highlighted that the building has saved 66% of energy consumption, reduced water consumption by 48% and has a solar power plant with a capacity of 660 kilowatts (KW). “This green achievement,” he said, “supports the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to promote the UAE’s position globally. It also supports the long-term national Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to achieve the sustainable development of the Emirate, and enhance its position as a global hub for trade, finance, and tourism.”
