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.
