Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) provided thousands of kilowatt hours of electricity to electric vehicle (EV) users at Expo 2020 as more people switch to greener modes of transport that reduce emissions.
The company provided 87,772 kilowatt-hours of electricity for the electric vehicles of visitors to the exhibition during its first three months, Dewa said in a statement on Thursday. Dewa installed 19 charging stations at different points at the Expo site for visitors to charge their vehicles.
“Dewa is committed to encouraging the public to drive environmentally-friendly electric vehicles and increase their adoption in the emirate, consolidating Dubai’s position as a global capital for the green economy and sustainable development,” said Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dewa.
The strategy supports the emirate’s Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions as well as efforts by the government to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world, Mr Al Tayer said.
Dubai, the commercial and tourism centre of the Middle East, aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent before the end of 2030, a move aimed at supporting the UAE’s efforts to achieve the country's net-zero ambitions by 2050. The emirate announced several new measures to support this policy, including the conversion of the 2,400 megawatt Hassyan power complex to natural gas from clean coal.
It is also building other clean energy projects, including the 5,000 megawatt Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the world’s largest single-site solar park. The fifth phase, with a total investment of Dh2.05 billion ($558 million), is 60 per cent complete, according to Dewa. The emirate is also pursuing a green hydrogen strategy.
Dewa has 325 charging stations across Dubai, including those at Expo 2020 Dubai, it said on Thursday. For electric vehicles registered in Dubai, Dewa creates an EV account instantly once the customer registers their vehicle with the Roads and Transport Authority. Customers can also set up an EV Green charger account on Dewa’s website and smart app, or through the interactive voice response system in the Customer Care Centre, enabling them to use Dewa’s charging stations within an hour of vehicle registration.
Dewa’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai attracted 338,833 visitors from the start of the world fair on October 1 to the end of December. It has allocated Dh4.26bn to support electricity and water infrastructure projects at the Expo site.
