At a high-level meeting in Dubai, Austria's Federal Minister of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, HE Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, was welcomed by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The discussions, which centred on strengthening bilateral cooperation in sustainability and renewable energy, also included participation from Austria's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, HE Etienne Berchtold.
Senior DEWA executives were also present, including Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future, Marwan Bin Haidar; Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf; and Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence, Waleed bin Salman.
The focus of the discussion was DEWA's dedication to international collaborations in climate action, which is consistent with the UAE's goal of spearheading the shift to a green economy. The two parties talked about how to work together to develop clean energy technology, exchange knowledge, and use innovation to address climate change issues.
He Al Tayer highlighted Dubai's strategic goals under the Dubai Clean Energy and Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategies and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, which seek to meet all of the emirate's energy demands from clean sources by that year. With a projected capacity of 7,260 megawatts (MW) by 2030, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar facility in the world. He emphasised DEWA's involvement in carrying out these ambitions. It is estimated that the solar park will cut carbon emissions by almost eight million tonnes a year.
The integration of AI into DEWA's services, which aims to improve sustainability, efficiency, and customer experience, was another example of the company's use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. Al Tayer introduced DEWA's new headquarters, "Al Shera'a," which is expected to be the tallest, largest, and smartest net-zero energy government building in the world. It has received top LEED and WELL certifications and is powered by cutting-edge technology like AI, Big Data, and the Internet of Things.
Minister Hattmannsdorfer acknowledged gratitude for the productive discussion and highlighted Austria's keen interest in deepening collaboration with the United Arab Emirates in the field of renewable energy. He highlighted the significance of turning shared expertise into concrete cooperative projects and referred to the UAE as an essential strategic partner.