HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received a delegation led by HE Darragh O’Brien, Ireland’s Minister of Climate, Energy and the Environment, and Minister of Transport. The meeting took place at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.
Discussions focused on collaboration opportunities in renewable energy and climate change mitigation technologies. Both parties also reviewed strategies for transitioning to clean energy and policies supporting sustainable urban development.
Senior DEWA officials attended the meeting, including Waleed bin Salman, Dr Yousef Al Akraf, and Dr Aaesha Abdulla Alnuaimi. The Irish delegation toured DEWA’s Sustainability and Innovation Centre at the solar park. The centre is described as a global incubator for innovation in clean and renewable energy within the Middle East and North Africa region. It supports Dubai’s goals related to green economy, carbon neutrality, and sustainability.
Al Tayer outlined DEWA’s major initiatives that promote sustainability. He detailed how DEWA uses Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as artificial intelligence across its operations with investments in digital infrastructure. According to Al Tayer: “These efforts align with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, which aim to provide 100% of the emirate’s energy production capacity from clean sources by 2050.”
The delegation was updated on progress at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Its current capacity is 3,860 megawatts (MW), representing 21.5% of Dubai’s total energy mix. By 2030, capacity is expected to exceed 8,000MW—an increase from earlier targets—raising clean energy’s share to over one-third of Dubai’s power supply while reducing annual emissions by more than eight million tonnes.
The visit included an overview of different phases at the solar park featuring concentrated solar power and photovoltaic technologies used to reduce carbon emissions significantly.
Al Tayer also presented other projects such as Al-Sheraa—the world’s tallest net-positive government building—which aims for top green building certifications while using Internet of Things technology alongside big data and AI systems.
He discussed additional initiatives like the Hatta Hydroelectric Power Station—a first in the GCC—with a planned capacity of 250MW utilizing water stored in Hatta Dam for electricity generation. Another highlighted project was Green Hydrogen, which produces hydrogen using solar energy; it is considered a regional first for diversifying clean energy sources and strengthening grid resilience.
