HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, headed the 35th meeting of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. Also present were HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council of Energy, and HE Ahmed Buti Al Muhairabi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council. The meeting was also attended by Supreme Council of Energy members, including Abdullah bin Kalban, MD & CEO of Emirates Global Aluminum, Saif Al Falasi, Group Chief Executive of ENOC, Abdullah Abdel Kareem, Director General of the Department of Oil Affairs, Salim Bin Musmar, Assistant Director General for Supervision of Environment, Health and Safety for Dubai Municipality, Waleed Salman, Vice President of the Dubai Nuclear Energy Committee, Dr. Yousef Al Ali, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), as well as representatives from Dubai Supply Authority.

The Council was briefed on the latest energy demand management approaches led by the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 and the management and distribution of gas in Dubai in line with Dubai’s Integrated Gas Strategy 2030. Both strategies have been established in line with the directives of the leadership, as well as the goals of the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021, which focuses on sustainable development, the preservation of environment and fulfilling the aspirations of all concerned. The energy demand management strategy includes eight major programmes: green building systems specifications, retrofitting of buildings and cooling areas, and raising standards of efficiency of appliances, equipment and lighting, among others. Each stakeholder will provide the Council with information on the status of retrofitting buildings according to green building standards, said Al Tayer.

The Supreme Council of Energy, in collaboration with DEWA, is coordinating with a number of government organisations that have large fleets of vehicles, to buy hybrid or electric vehicles in the coming years, in line with the strategy to reduce carbon emissions in Dubai by about 16% by 2021, added Al Tayer.

The Council members were briefed on the retrofitting work by Etihad ESCO on existing buildings. DEWA has invested AED 21 million in retrofitting lighting to provide 68% in power savings, equivalent to 14 Gigawatthours (GWh) per year for the next three years. We have also invested AED 16 million in seven buildings at DEWA to conserve 31% of their annual power consumption, equivalent to 6 GWh over the next six years, said Al Muhairabi.

Dubai Supreme Council of Energy members reviewed the agreement signed between the Council and the Bureau of Street Lighting of the City of Los Angeles in the US, and exchanged experiences and best practices in efficient road lighting and financing options.

The Council members also reviewed the Copenhagen, Denmark visit headed by Al Tayer, following an invitation from the Danish Government’s Green Economy Foundation to promote cooperation, and exchange best experience on smart cities in line with Smart Dubai initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a smartest city in the world, improve quality of life and consolidate its position as a global model in green economy.