TLDR: Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), recently met with a Shell delegation to discuss the ‘2025 Energy Security Scenarios: Energy and Artificial Intelligence’ report. The discussions focused on leveraging AI to accelerate clean energy initiatives, enhance operational efficiency, and drive sustainable growth within the energy sector, reinforcing DEWA’s commitment to becoming an AI-native utility.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is actively shaping the future of energy through strategic collaborations and advanced technological integration, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI). Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, recently hosted a high-level delegation from Shell, led by Fakher Bader, Country Chair for Iraq and the UAE, to explore the critical intersection of energy security and AI. The meeting centered on Shell’s newly released report, ‘The 2025 Energy Security Scenarios: Energy and Artificial Intelligence,’ which outlines three strategic pathways—Archipelagos, Horizon, and Surge—illustrating how AI could redefine global energy systems. These scenario models are designed to serve as strategic tools for anticipating disruption, assessing risks, and identifying new opportunities in an increasingly dynamic energy environment.
Al Tayer emphasized Dubai’s proactive approach to adopting cutting-edge technologies and its commitment to clean energy goals. He highlighted DEWA’s ongoing flagship clean energy projects, most notably the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This park, recognized as the world’s largest single-site solar energy project operating under the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, currently boasts a capacity of 3,860 megawatts (MW) and is targeted to reach 7,260MW by 2030, exceeding its initial plan of 5,000MW. The sixth phase alone will contribute 1,800MW using bifacial photovoltaic solar panels and single-axis tracking technologies, projected to supply clean electricity to approximately 540,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by about 2.36 million tonnes annually. Plans for a seventh phase include installing up to 2,000MW of photovoltaic panels with a battery storage system capable of storing up to 6,000 megawatt-hours, positioning it as one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects globally.
Beyond solar energy, DEWA is making significant strides in AI integration across its operations. Al Tayer reiterated DEWA’s strategic roadmap to become the world’s first AI-native utility, embedding AI technologies across its entire value chain, including generation, transmission, distribution, customer services, and internal operations. This aligns with the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, which aims to position the UAE as a global leader in AI. DEWA has already implemented AI-driven innovations such as the world’s first gas turbine intelligent controller and a dynamic digital twin system to enhance thermal efficiency at its power plants. The integration of AI into 132/11 kV digital substations has resulted in annual savings of over 129 megawatt-hours and a reduction of over 54 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per station.
Furthermore, DEWA’s virtual employee, ‘Rammas,’ has answered over 10 million customer inquiries since 2017, marking a significant milestone in the utilities sector. The upcoming Al Shera’a Building, DEWA’s new headquarters, is designed to be the world’s tallest and largest net-positive energy government building, incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as AI, IoT, big data, and renewable energy systems for unprecedented energy efficiency.
The discussions with Shell also focused on enhancing collaboration to advance circular economy initiatives and build a green, sustainable energy future. Fakher Bader of Shell noted that AI is a powerful enabler for accelerating decarbonization, optimizing energy systems, and unlocking new efficiencies, aligning with the UAE’s ambitions for a smarter, more sustainable energy future.
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By the end of January 2025, clean energy capacity reached approximately 20% of Dubai’s total energy mix, with plans to further increase the clean energy share from 27% to 34% through projects like the seventh phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, exceeding initial targets. DEWA’s commitment to AI advancements and empowering its workforce with necessary tools underscores its leadership in the rapidly evolving energy landscape.
