Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has allocated $1.15bn (AED4.26bn) to supply the Expo 2020 Dubai with electricity and water as well as supporting its electricity and water infra projects using the latest smart systems as the Official Sustainable Energy Partner of Expo 2020.
DEWA will provide Expo 2020 with clean energy from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, according to regional news reports.
The Solar Park will supply Expo 2020 facilities with about 464MW of clean energy. DEWA is building a smart grid to become the first network in the world to provide the entire value chain of generation, transmission, and distribution systems to the Expo.
DEWA has completed several mega projects and achievements, as part of hosting the Expo 2020 Dubai. These include constructing three 132/11 kilovolt (kV) substations with 45 kilometres of high-voltage (132kV) cables.
The substations are named Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity after the three sub-themes of Expo 2020 Dubai.
DEWA is also building water-transmission networks with pipelines that are 600 and 1,200 mm in diameter, with pumping and distribution stations. These projects will increase water-flow rates and ensure an adequate water supply to meet the increasing demands.
DEWA started constructing Mobility, the first 132/11 kV main substation, at Expo 2020 Dubai, with a conversion capacity of 150 MVA, in July 2015.
In September 2015, DEWA started constructing Sustainability, the second 132/11 kV main substation at Expo 2020 Dubai. It has a conversion capacity of 150 MVA.
In September 2015, DEWA started constructing Opportunity, the third 132/11 kV main substation at Expo 2020 Dubai. The substation will also have a conversion capacity of 150 MVA.
In addition, DEWA is working on the Green Hydrogen project in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens.
It will be built at DEWA’s outdoor testing facilities in the Research and Development (R&D) Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The project is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to produce hydrogen form clean energy.
It will support Sustainability, which is one of Expo 2020’s themes. The project will also promote the green economy in the UAE and support DEWA’s efforts to host the most sustainable World Expo.
As part of its efforts to make Expo 2020 Dubai sustainable, DEWA is currently working on installing 17 Green Charger stations for electric vehicles at the offices of Expo Dubai, the Opportunity, Sustainability and Mobility pavilions for electric vehicle owners who will visit the Expo Dubai.
The smart control and distribution substation automation project aims at providing infra for electricity distribution networks at Expo 2020 Dubai, under the umbrella of the Smart Grids. This is through automation and smart control of electricity distribution networks, instantly and accurately round the clock.
This project is part of 250 substations connected to the distribution control centre. This ensures speedy response to reconnect the service, improve operations, and enhance the efficiency and reliability of electricity distribution networks at Expo Dubai. Consequently, this achieves the welfare and happiness of customers and visitors of the Expo.
Shams Dubai DEWA is also supporting Expo 2020 through the Smart Dubai initiative, with Shams Dubai contributing power from solar arrays installed at Expo 2020. DEWA has received more than 25 installation requests at Expo 2020 Dubai so far. This number is expected to double as the launch date approaches.