In a high-level meeting aimed at strengthening international partnerships in renewable energy and sustainability, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), welcomed Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, Austria’s Federal Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, and Etienne Berchtold, the Austrian Ambassador to the UAE.
The meeting was also attended by senior DEWA officials, including Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence; Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources; and Marwan Bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future.
Discussions centered on DEWA’s strategic initiatives to advance global cooperation in clean energy and climate action, in alignment with the UAE’s vision to lead the transition to a green economy. Both parties explored avenues to strengthen collaboration in accelerating the energy transition, tackling climate challenges, and exchanging sustainability best practices.
Al Tayer underscored Dubai’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 through frameworks such as the UAE Net Zero Strategy 2050, Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050. He highlighted the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park — the world’s largest single-site solar project — which aims to produce 7,260 MW of clean energy by 2030 and offset eight million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Al Tayer also showcased DEWA’s global leadership in utility performance, with the company ranking first globally in 12 key performance indicators. In 2024, DEWA achieved the world’s lowest electricity transmission and distribution losses at 2 percent, significantly outperforming the global average of 6–7 percent. Water network losses were recorded at 4.5 percent, while customer minutes lost (CML) were just 0.94 minutes annually, compared to 15 minutes in the European Union.
Highlighting innovation, Al Tayer spoke about DEWA’s integration of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, particularly AI, to enhance efficiency and sustainability across operations. He also introduced “Al Shera’a”, DEWA’s upcoming headquarters, poised to be the tallest, largest, and smartest energy-positive government building globally. The structure is designed to achieve LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certifications and will be equipped with IoT, Big Data, AI, and cutting-edge renewable energy systems.
Minister Hattmannsdorfer expressed appreciation for the constructive dialogue and emphasized the potential for deeper cooperation between Austria and the UAE, especially in renewable energy. He noted both nations’ leadership in the sector and stressed the importance of transforming this shared strength into tangible joint projects. He further reaffirmed the UAE’s strategic significance to Austria’s energy objectives.
