Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA)|Climate Resilience & Adaptation

Home
Investor Relations
EasyPay
Dubai Electricity & Water Authority
  • العربية
Climate Change
Overview Emissions & Climate Mitigation Climate Resilience & Adaptation

Climate Resilience & Adaptation

Climate Resilience & Adaptation
DEWA's Climate Change Resilience Plan Identifying Climate-Related Risks Governance and Building Resilience for the Future
DEWA's Climate Change Resilience Plan

Climate change has become a critical global priority, posing significant challenges to communities and industries worldwide. It drives extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, droughts and storms — which also affect the power and water sectors in the UAE.

At DEWA, we recognise climate change as a multifaceted risk with physical, economic, regulatory and reputational implications for our business. In response, DEWA developed a comprehensive Climate Change Resilience Plan in 2020 to evaluate, understand and address these risks across our assets and operations.

As an early adopter of climate resilience planning in the region, DEWA's Climate Change Resilience Plan identifies existing mitigation measures, preventive controls and future resilience actions. Guided by a clear vision and principles, the plan supports and strengthens the resilience of the power and water sectors, aligning with global best practice. It is integrated into DEWA's Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) system and strategic planning to deliver a structured, forward-thinking approach.

DEWA's Climate Change Resilience Plan Framework

Vision

To be a climate-resilient utility with sustainable, innovative and robust operations and infrastructure capable of withstanding the effects of climate change.

Guiding Principles
  • Robustness: Strengthening systems to endure climate-related disruptions
  • Resourcefulness: Optimising resources to adapt to changing conditions
  • Rapid Recovery: Ensuring swift restoration of services after climate-related disruptions
  • Adaptability: Continuously evolving to address new climate challenges
Approach
  • Conduct comprehensive risk assessments
  • Implement effective prevention and management strategies
  • Adopt adaptive practices to build resilience
  • Foster stakeholder engagement to drive collaborative action
Goals
  1. Integrate climate change considerations into core business practices
  2. Align with local, national and international climate resilience plans
  3. Maintain a robust, evidence-based resilience plan
  4. Ensure safe and sustainable operations across all activities
  5. Build and sustain resilient infrastructure to withstand climate effects
  6. Maintain a business model aligned with global strategies and policies
  7. Enhance DEWA's overall adaptive capacity to respond to climate risks
Identifying Climate-Related Risks

To prepare for an uncertain future, DEWA analysed global and regional climate trends and projections using advanced climate models. This comprehensive analysis provided insights into climatic trends at both global and local levels, enabling the identification of physical and transitional risks posed by climate change.

DEWA classified these risks into two key drivers:

Policy Drivers

Risks stemming from global, national and regional climate policies and strategies that could affect DEWA's operations and strategic goals.

Climate Drivers

Risks arising from climate variables — such as temperature, precipitation and extreme weather events — based on regional trends and projections aligned with the Dubai Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.

DEWA's risk assessments consider variations in geography, climate conditions across the UAE and facility-specific factors such as location, age and design. These assessments are vital for identifying vulnerabilities and shaping effective resilience measures.

Governance and Building Resilience for the Future

In 2020, DEWA introduced Climate Change Risk into its Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) system, governed by the Group Risk & Resilience Committee and monitored annually. This risk captures the potential impact from both policy and climate drivers on DEWA's strategy and operations, with both financial and non-financial implications.

DEWA's governance framework includes the development of risk heat maps, classification of risks and identification of key risk indicators to ensure comprehensive management. Annually, DEWA monitors, reviews and verifies the key preventive controls and mitigation measures outlined in the Climate Change Resilience Plan to address the identified risks.

With an established governance structure, DEWA's climate resilience team continues to analyse climate change drivers, classify and rank risks, and assess vulnerabilities and opportunities. The team monitors climate trends and drivers to mitigate potential effects on DEWA's physical assets and ensure uninterrupted operations.

DEWA's Climate Change Resilience Plan reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting Dubai's power and water infrastructure from climate-related risks. By embedding climate resilience into our governance framework and operations, DEWA strengthens the continuity and reliability of essential services while supporting the UAE's broader climate adaptation goals.