Dubai implements its Smart Grid Strategy 2021 – 2035

Building on the success of completing 100% of the short-term goals of its Smart Grid Strategy 2014 – 2035, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is implementing its updated Smart Grid Strategy 2021-2035.

This strategy features a high standard of resilience and agility, which keeps pace with development and rapid changes to ensure the continuity of the organisation’s excellence and global leadership.

“HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, praised the team efforts, which resulted in delivering the short-term goals of DEWA’s Smart Grid Strategy and updating it to move forward with the medium and long-term objectives until 2035.

“DEWA’s Smart Grid programme with investments upwards of AED 7 billion aligns with the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. It also supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

A Smart Grid provides advanced features that includes interoperability across the entire electricity and water network. It is an integral part of DEWA’s strategy to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure for managing facilities and services according to smart and integrated systems using disruptive technologies and Fourth Industrial Revolution applications,” said Al Tayer.

Eng. Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, said that DEWA’s Smart Grid Strategy 2021 – 2035 includes six main themes: Foundational Capabilities; Grid Automation; Smart Energy Solutions and Green Mobility; Smart Water; Smart Grid Artificial Intelligence; and Innovative Value-Added Services. The Smart Grid Strategy themes comprise 19 smart grid capabilities. These capabilities are aligned with DEWA’s strategic objectives. These global pioneering capabilities have enabled the updated DEWA Smart Grid Strategy until 2035.

As part of achieving the short-term goals of its Smart Grid Strategy 2014-2035, DEWA replaced electricity and water meters with smart meters between 2015 and 2020. More than two million meters are automatically read, with consumption patterns provided to customers to help them effectively manage their electricity and water usage. Between 2015 and 2017, DEWA fully automated its transmission network connected to the 400kV and 132 kV substations. In 2017, DEWA deployed its multi-application RF Mesh network across Dubai.

Since then, it has expanded to provide communication to over 4,200 distribution substations. This supports smart grid applications such as electricity and water smart meters and the automation of the distribution network.