Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), welcomed a high-level delegation from Shell, led by Fakher Bader, Country Chair for Iraq and the UAE. The delegation included Geraldine Wessing, Chief Political Analyst – Strategy Insights & Scenarios, and Hessa Abdulla, MENA Media Lead.
The meeting centered on Shell’s latest report, The 2025 Energy Security Scenarios: Energy and Artificial Intelligence, which explores how AI could reshape global energy systems through three distinct pathways: Archipelagos, Horizon, and Surge. These scenarios are vital tools for strategic decision-making, helping stakeholders anticipate future challenges, assess risks, and identify opportunities in a rapidly evolving energy landscape. Discussions also highlighted opportunities for synergy in advancing a circular and green economy.
Al Tayer shared Dewa clean energy initiatives, particularly the pioneering projects such as the ongoing development of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park—currently the world’s largest single-site solar park based on the independent power producer (IPP) model. Its current capacity stands at 3,860 megawatts (MW), with a planned expansion to 7,260MW by 2030 (up from the originally planned 5,000MW).
The 1,800MW sixth phase of the solar park uses the latest bifacial solar photovoltaic technologies with single-axis tracking. This phase, also developed under the IPP model, will provide clean energy for approximately 540,000 residences and reduce around 2.36 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Al Tayer also highlighted the Al Shera’a building, Dewa’s upcoming headquarters, which will be the tallest and largest net-positive energy government building in the world. Al Shera’a is designed to achieve LEED platinum certification and WELL silver certification, and will incorporate advanced technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy solutions to ensure maximum efficiency and sustainability.
He also underlined Dewa’s outstanding progress in AI integration. With a roadmap to become the world’s first AI-native utility, Dewa is embedding AI across all core operations—reinforcing its global leadership. In 2024, Dewa achieved the world’s lowest electricity transmission and distribution network losses at 2%, compared to 6%–7% in Europe and the United States. Its water transmission and distribution losses also set a global benchmark at 4.5%. Dewa further recorded the world’s lowest customer minutes lost (CML), at just 0.94 minutes per year, compared to the EU average of 15 minutes.
Fakher Bader reiterated Shell’s support for the UAE’s clean energy transition and praised the scale and impact of Dewa clean energy initiatives in reshaping the regional energy landscape.
Separately, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer was presented with the Energy Infrastructure Award, which Dewa won at the prestigious 2024 S&P Global Platts Energy Awards for the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Outperforming more than 1,000 global applicants, Dewa became the first utility in the Middle East and North Africa to receive this honor.
The Platts Global Energy Awards, organized by S&P Global Commodity Insights, are widely regarded as the ‘Oscars of the energy industry.’ The awards recognize innovation, leadership, and outstanding contributions that shape the future of global energy systems. Since 1999, they have honored top achievers in categories such as sustainability, infrastructure, technology, and innovation.
Al Tayer remarked, “Guided by the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, excellence has become a genuine and continuous approach in the UAE. Based on this proactive vision, and in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of energy production capacity from clean sources by 2050, we look forward to broader horizons of leadership and innovation.
We continue to strengthen our preparedness for the future and advance the sustainability of our robust, integrated infrastructure—ensuring it can meet the ambitions of both current and future generations while keeping pace with Dubai’s flourishing urban and demographic growth.”
Recently, Dewa also won two Reuters Global Energy Transition Awards 2025, presented by the international news agency Thomson Reuters—further validating the global impact of Dewa clean energy initiatives.
