Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) on Saturday said it will support the development of the Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve with six sustainable development projects.
The reserve, launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aims to become the UAE’s largest environmental tourist destination, attracting one million visitors annually.
It will be a home to the area’s plants and animals and local and migratory birds, featuring a total of over 20 projects implemented by nine government organisations.
Dewa’s projects in the reserve include powering it with clean energy from the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to help protect the environment and promote sustainable development. Also included will be installing solar panels on the rooftops of the reserve’s facilities and connecting them to Dewa’s grid as part of the Shams Dubai initiative; installing electric vehicle charging stations as part of the Green Charger initiative; providing state-of-the-art smart meters with advanced features that contribute to a smart and eco-friendly lifestyle; and installing Manarati smart poles with innovative applications including charging electric vehicles, interactive screens, smart environmental sensors, and internet access.
Dewa will also develop an advanced water supply infrastructure. Its projects are in line with the objectives of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 “to make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050; transform the emirate into a global clean energy and green economy; and provide 75 per cent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2050”, said Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, CEO of Dewa.
Al Tayer added that the solar park, located within the reserve, is the largest single-site solar project in the world, with a total planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. The first two 213MW phases of the solar park are operational. The 800MW photovoltaic third phase is under construction. The first 200MW stage of this phase will be operational in the second quarter of 2018. Dewa is also working on the 700MW Concentrated Solar Power fourth phase, which is the largest single-site project of its kind in the world.
