Dubai Electricity & Water Authority | DEWA signs MoU with Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens to kick- off region’s first solar-driven hydrogen electrolysis facility

During the 6th edition of the World Government Summit,   HE Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to kick- off a pilot project for the region’s first solar-driven hydrogen electrolysis facility at DEWA’s outdoor testing facilities at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.

The facility aims at testing and showcasing an integrated MW-scale plant to produce hydrogen using renewable energy from solar photovoltaic at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, store the gas, and then deploy for either re-electrification, transportation or other industrial uses. Hydrogen technologies will accelerate renewable energy integration and deployment in the region and pave the way for the transition to a sustainable and green economy in the UAE. DEWA and Expo 2020 Dubai intend to use fuel-cell vehicles powered by the green hydrogen generated at the facility.Visitors of Expo 2020 Dubai will be able to visit the key facilities at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Live data of the green hydrogen electrolysis will be displayed at Expo 2020 Dubai.

“This project will not only result in the development of the region’s first solar-driven hydrogen electrolysis facility, but is an example of what can be achieved through collaboration between Expo 2020 Dubai and our partners, truly embodying the Expo theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’,” said Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy. “Expo 2020 Dubai will be a celebration of creativity and innovation, providing a platform for new sustainable technologies like this to be presented to a global audience of millions, and help us move towards a cleaner, greener future,” said HE Reem Al Hashimy.

"The MoU is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to increase the share of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources to 75% by 2050 through the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. The MoU also supports Expo 2020 Dubai's themes to promote sustainability and innovation and DEWA’s efforts to contribute to hosting the best edition of Expo in Dubai. This is part of our partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai, as the official sustainable energy partner," said Al Tayer.

“Siemens has been a strategic partner to DEWA for over 30 years, especially in power generation and related technologies. DEWA launches sustainable initiatives and projects and provides world-class energy infrastructure to meet all the sustainable development needs of the Emirate. DEWA provides water and electricity services at the highest standards of availability, reliability, and efficiency.” added Al Tayer.

“This is truly a landmark project for Dubai and the world, and a great step forward in building a secure supply of sustainable energy for the region’s economic development. Green hydrogen can be a fuel of the future. It will accelerate the adoption of renewable energy in the Middle East through sector coupling, offering new use cases, such as e-Mobility and other environmentally-friendly industries,” said Kaeser.

DEWA has allocated AED 4.26 billion to support the infrastructure for electricity and water at Expo 2020 Dubai and is the official Sustainable Energy Partner.  DEWA’s electricity projects to support Expo 2020 Dubai include three 132/11 kilovolt (kV) substations with 45 kilometres (km) of high-voltage (132kV) cables. The substations are named Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity after the three subthemes of Expo 2020 Dubai. DEWA’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will provide Expo 2020 Dubai with a dedicated capacity of 464MW of clean energy. DEWA is building first of its kind smart grid in the world to provide the entire value chain of generation, transmission, and distribution systems to Expo.