Dubai: Dewa posts 79% growth in electricity, water accounts as economic activities surge

Electricity and water accounts in Dubai surged 79 per cent in past 10 years due to rising demand of utilities

The power utility said that the number of electricity accounts reached 1,116,575 accounts by the end of 2022 compared to 624,445 accounts by the end of 2012. — Supplied photos

A Staff Reporter

Published: Tue 21 Feb 2023, 7:00 PM

Electricity and water accounts in Dubai increase by 79% in 10 years, reflecting the expansion Dubai is witnessing across all economic activities

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) on Tuesday said electricity and water accounts in Dubai surged 79 per cent in past 10 years due to rising demand of utilities in line with the increasing population and growing economic activities in the emirate.

In a statement, the power utility said that the number of electricity accounts reached 1,116,575 accounts by the end of 2022 compared to 624,445 accounts by the end of 2012.

Similarly, the number of water accounts increased to 995,478 by the end of 2022 compared to 554,562 accounts by the end of 2012. This is an increase of around 79 per cent in electricity and water accounts in Dubai in 10 years.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dewa, noted that the increase in Dewa’s customers reflects the continuous growth in population and the expansion the Emirate is witnessing across all economic activities.

“We are developing a world-class infrastructure for electricity and water to keep pace with the growing demand in Dubai and provide our services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, efficiency, and quality,” Al Tayer said.

He said Dewa keeps pace with the increasing demand for energy and water by raising its production capacity, reaching 14,517MW of electricity and 490 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of desalinated water. Dewa has also expanded its transmission and distribution networks to keep pace with the vast expansion of Dubai, he said.

“We provide electricity and water services to over 3.5 million people in Dubai and over 4.7 million individuals during the day. Our expansion plans are based on the demand forecast until 2030, considering the Emirate’s demographic and economic growth,” he said.

“We will continue to develop Dubai’s infrastructure to provide the best facilities for the best city in the world, guided by the vision and directives of the wise leadership to enhance Dubai’s position as a global city and a preferred destination for living, working, business and tourism,” said Al Tayer.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dewa, noted that the increase in Dewa’s customers reflects the continuous growth in population and the expansion the Emirate is witnessing across all economic activities.

“We are working to diversify energy sources in Dubai through pioneering projects that include clean and renewable energy technologies in Dubai. This will help achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 per cent of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. Currently, the share of clean energy production capacity is about 14 per cent of Dubai’s total energy mix,” added Al Tayer.

Al Tayer said that Dewa uses clean solar energy to desalinate seawater using the latest RO technologies. According to the strategy, 100 per cent of Dubai’s desalinated water production in 2030 will come from a mix of clean energy that combines renewable energy sources and waste heat. This will make Dubai exceed the globally set goal regarding using clean energy in water desalination.

Dewa’s results surpass major European and American utilities in several key performance indicators. Losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks were reduced to 2.2 per cent compared to 6-7 per cent in Europe and the USA. Water network losses were also reduced to 4.5 per cent compared to around 15 per cent in North America.

Dewa has achieved a new world record in electricity Customer Minutes Lost (CML) per year. Dubai recorded 1.19 minutes per customer, compared to around 15 minutes recorded by leading utility companies in the European Union.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com