DEWA receives 35 representatives from Scandinavian nations at Sustainable Building

Environment

DEWA receives 35 representatives from Scandinavian nations at Sustainable Building

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) received a delegation headed by Mette Laursen, Founder of LinKS. The 35-member delegation represents various Scandinavian nations, and is participating in the Global Women's Forum in Dubai, which is being held for the very first time in the region. The Forum is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and led by HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and spouse of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs.

The meeting was attended by Mona Fekri, Head of Human Resources at DUCAB. Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water & Civil at DEWA, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, Abdullah Al Hajri, Executive Vice President of Customer Services, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications at DEWA, Moza Al Akraf, CIO of DEWA, Maryam Al Mutaiwei, Vice President of Human Resources, Branly Nassour, Vice President of Water P&E New Connections, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Vice President of Civil Projects Engineering & Water Maintenance Engineering Projects, and Ahmed Abdullah, Senior Manager of External Communications at DEWA, and other DEWA staff also attended.

Al Tayer welcomed the delegation, revealing his gratitude of the strong ties between the UAE and the Scandinavian region, which have resulted in partnerships in many locations of mutual interest. This shows the commitment of both the UAE and Scandinavia to develop federal government processes based on sustainability and development.

"There are numerous fantastic examples of the cooperation in between our countries. This cooperation establishes further every year, specifically in trade, financial investment, development, and Research & Development. This supports the UAE's efforts to adopt development as a foundation in the drive towards financial prosperity. The UAE is forming itself into a knowledge-based economy as a strategic national option. Dubai and the UAE are home to numerous Scandinavian business. In addition to the country's strategic position on the world map, Dubai and the UAE provide a stimulating environment that encourages imagination and innovation. This includes a modern-day infrastructure, and policies that protects everybody's rights," stated Al Tayer.

"Officials from the UAE and Scandinavian nations regularly exchange sees to go over further cooperation. I personally visited Copenhagen last year following an invitation from the Green Economy Foundation. I fulfilled Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of the City of Copenhagen, Jrgen Abildgaard, Executive Climate Project Director of the City of Copenhagen, and other officials. We went over ways to develop closer ties and exchange best practices and experiences on smart and green cities, and lowering carbon emissions. This supports our efforts to achieve the Smart Dubai effort, introduced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, to change Dubai into the smartest city in the world, boost quality of life, and develop its position as a global role model for green economy," added Al Tayer.

"To support the instructions of our wise leadership, the UAE Vision 2021, and the Dubai Plan 2021, which both concentrate on sustainable advancement and securing the environment, DEWA has a technique to drive the sustainability of the Emirate by implementing sustainable and clean energy projects, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of energy and water networks, launching awareness efforts and programmes to provide public awareness on the value of the sensible usage of natural resources, and instilling a culture of rationalisation and energy need management within society," he included.

"I am glad to welcome you to this building, which is the very first sustainable government building in the UAE and the biggest government structure in the world to get a Platinum Rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It has achieved 98 out of 110 points according to the rating requirements for the design set by the United States Green Building Council institute. The structure conserves 66 % of energy usage using solar energy production plant with a capability of 660 kilowatts (KW), and decreases water consumption by 48 %," concluded Al Tayer.

The visit included a tour in DEWAs Sustainable Building. It included the Customer Service Centre, the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, the call centre, nursery, Knowledge Centre (library), the green roofs, and the photovoltaic panels used to supply the building with solar power.