Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s use of the latest innovative technologies contributes to enhancing efficiency at the Jebel Ali Power Generation & Water Production Complex, which is one of the main pillars for providing Dubai with reliable, efficient and high-quality electricity and water services.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, emphasised that DEWA adopts the latest disruptive technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to increase production efficiency, maximum utilisation of waste heat, and reduce carbon emissions.

“We are working according to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide a state-of-the-art infrastructure that contributes to consolidating Dubai’s position as a preferred destination for living, working, investing, and tourism, as well as meeting the growing demand for electricity and water services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, efficiency and quality. Innovation is a key pillar in developing the work system and enhancing production efficiency, which improved by 37.63% in 2021 compared to 2006. This was achieved using the latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), blockchain technology, energy storage, the Internet of Things (IoT), renewable energy, Reverse Osmosis, and desalination technology, among others,” added Al Tayer.

Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation (Power & Water) at DEWA, said that DEWA’s implementation of the latest innovative technologies, optimum design of the plants, reengineering in addition to the outstanding technical capabilities of the division’s employees, contributed to improving production efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 32%. This is equivalent to planting 369 million trees to absorb this amount of carbon dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide emissions have been reduced by 76%, and sulfur dioxide emissions have been reduced by 99%.

World Records

Jebel Ali Power Generation & Water Production Complex has been confirmed by Guinness World Records as the largest single-site natural gas power generation facility in the world.  The Complex has an electricity generation capacity of 9,547 MW. The Complex comprises two main plants for power generation and water desalination. Plant -1, with a production capacity of 2,761 MW, consists of stations D, E, and G. Plant-2, with a production capacity of 6,786 MW, consists of stations K, L, and M. DEWA entered the Guinness World Records once again as the largest single-site water desalination facility in the world with a production capacity of 490 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of desalinated water.

Global achievements in performance and operations

DEWA has achieved global leadership in its operations and performance. McKinsey has categorised DEWA, represented by its Generation division, as one of the five best plants globally, in an assessment of 60 prominent global utilities that use electricity and water co-generation systems. DEWA’s optimal fuel heat utilisation is 80%-90%, which is among the highest in the world.

DEWA broke its world record in major inspection outage duration for the overhaul of gas turbines and desalination units, which it recorded in 2019. This achievement promotes DEWA’s position as a globally leading sustainable model for the overhaul of gas turbines and desalination units. DEWA has reduced the maintenance outages for key inspection operations from 11 days to 9 days, which is a reduction in the maintenance duration of 18%, compared to the previous world record achieved and an 84% decrease compared to 2006. This has helped DEWA achieve 99.51% and 99.83% availability in the summer of 2021 for the E-Class and the F-Class fleet of Gas Turbines (GT) respectively, which is one of the highest percentages worldwide.

Global leadership in using AI

A team of DEWA engineers, led by Emirati experts, in cooperation with Siemens Energy, developed the Intelligent Gas Turbine Controller (GTIC), the world’s first thermodynamic Digital Twin Gas Turbine Intelligent Controller, which uses AI and machine learning. Using this system at “M” & “K” Stations contributed to increasing efficiency and reducing emissions. The Controller is currently installed in nine gas turbines at DEWA’s Generation division and will be installed in an additional six gas turbines. Moreover, DEWA is currently extending its functionality to the Combined Cycle and Co-Generation Assets at M-Station.