Dubai: Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), led a high-level delegation to China to strengthen cooperation and strategic partnerships with Chinese companies, especially in the field of renewable energy. The discussions focused on sharing global best practices in solar energy and storage technologies to support Dubai's clean energy objectives.
According to Emirates News Agency, DEWA is currently in the tendering phase for the seventh phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This phase is set to include 2,000 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic solar panels and a 1,400MW battery energy storage system (BESS) with a six-hour storage capacity. The project will operate under the independent power producer (IPP) model and is poised to be one of the world's largest projects combining solar energy and battery storage.
The delegation accompanying Al Tayer comprised several senior DEWA officials, including 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; and Ghanim Al Qassim, Senior Manager of Solar Energy, along with other engineers.
Al Tayer emphasized DEWA's collaboration with numerous major Chinese companies across various energy sectors, notably in clean and renewable energy. He highlighted that many leading Chinese firms are involved in DEWA's projects, particularly the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, recognized as the world's largest single-site solar park under the IPP model.
During the visit, the delegation visited several key facilities, including Huawei's headquarters, BYD's headquarters, Tesla BESS factory, a Sungrow facility, and the CRRC Zhuzhou Institute. These visits aimed to explore best practices and technologies in photovoltaic solar panels, energy storage systems, artificial intelligence applications, smart solutions, and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.