FNC benchmarks DEWA as role model for services to Emiratis

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, has welcomed members of the Technical Affairs, Energy, and Mineral Resources Committee of the Federal National Council, FNC.

The delegation included Afra Al Basti, Rapporteur of the Technical Affairs, Energy and Mineral Resources Committee of the FNC, Khaled bin Zayed Al Falasi, and Dr Jaber Al Zaabi, Assistant Secretary-General for Meetings and Committees of the General Secretariat of the FNC. The meeting took place as part of the Committee’s work plan to discuss the policy of the Federal Electricity and Water Authority, FEWA.

The plan includes organising field visits to review the services provided to customers and listen to the opinions of stakeholders and citizens. Recommendations are included in the Committee’s report, which will be discussed by the FNC.

During the meeting, the Committee members discussed the Emiratisation of technical jobs, DEWA’s services for customers, conservation tips and ways to reduce electricity use and costs, DEWA’s renewable-energy projects in 2015-2017, and its policy to recruit graduates in specialised and technical jobs. The Committee’s members also enquired about the challenges facing DEWA in providing services to Emiratis, as well as its most important initiatives and future projects for power plants and water production to meet increasing demand in Dubai.

Al Tayer welcomed the FNC delegation, and emphasised the importance of fruitful cooperation between the two sides. He presented DEWA’s programmes, plans, and projects to achieve the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to promote the UAE’s global leadership, and improve performance, productivity, and quality of the service provided to customers. DEWA’s strategy is aligned with the UAE Centennial 2071, the UAE Vision 2021, and the Dubai Plan 2021, to ensure a happy and sustainable future and make the UAE rank first in all areas.

Al Tayer noted that DEWA continuously works to upgrade its services even further, to form a distinctive model to meet all the requirements for development in Dubai.

He highlighted that DEWA is committed to developing and supporting Emirati talent to meet the UAE National Agenda, in line with our strategy to prepare young Emiratis to take the lead in the energy and water sectors. DEWA’s Emiratisation strategy includes ambitious programmes to train and prepare Emiratis for technical and engineering jobs. DEWA provides various scholarships to Emirati students who wish to further their studies in the energy sector. This is part of DEWA’s strategy to appoint Emiratis to leading positions within it. DEWA has achieved excellent results in Emiratisation, with UAE nationals holding 85.45 percent of senior management positions.

Afra Al Basti noted that the committee adopted discussing DEWA’s federal policy for electricity and water, to study and report on it within specific themes, most notably DEWA’s strategic plan, the upgrade of services provided to citizens, and the fees of services provided to Emiratis.

She went on to explain that the committee held several meetings prior to these field visits, where it reviewed DEWA’s strategy, and studied comparative studies and related technical papers. During the field visits conducted last month, the committee met with representatives of municipalities and local electricity and water utilities in the UAE.

Al Basti said that the committee has reviewed the key services provided by utilities to provide electricity and water to Emiratis and she noted that the committee has developed a comprehensive plan, including field visits to many organisations. Also, the committee has held discussions in Umm Al Qaiwain to identify the challenges facing the Federal electricity and water networks