The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has installed two electric vehicle Green Charger stations at the offices of Expo Dubai. DEWA is also installing 15 more stations at the Opportunity, Sustainability and Mobility pavilions for electric vehicle owners who will visit Expo Dubai. This is part of its effort to provide a sustainable Expo Dubai for six months and longer. As the Official Sustainability Partner for Expo Dubai from Oct. 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, DEWA has invested AED4.26 billion to build the electricity and water infrastructure for the event using the latest smart systems. It will also provide clean energy to the Expo Dubai from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, said that DEWA collaborates with the relevant organizations in the UAE to prepare to host the best World Expo, in Dubai. "To host Expo Dubai, DEWA has completed several major projects, including constructing electricity and water transmission networks. The total cost of DEWA's three sub-stations at Expo Dubai has reached AED420 million," he added. "Our plan to install 17 electric vehicle Green Charger stations at the Expo site is part of our work to achieve the Smart Dubai initiative, launched by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. "It also supports the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a smart, sustainable and innovative city in managing its resources, improving its quality of life, consolidating Dubai's position as a global model for a green economy. "We are committed to increasing the number of hybrid and electric vehicles in Dubai, which supports the Dubai Green Mobility Strategy 2030 and the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021 to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector," Al Tayer said. As the expiry date for free charging for electric vehicles approaches, DEWA has announced an extension. The extension allows private users, who register for the Green Charger Initiative to charge their vehicles for free at DEWA public charging stations until Dec. 31, 2021. This incentive is exclusively for DEWA public charging stations and does not include home charging stations. Commercial registered users such as government, semi-government, and private organizations will be charged the tariff of 29 fils per kilowatt-hour, effective from Jan. 1, 2020. DEWA has successfully installed 240 electric vehicle charging stations in different areas of Dubai such as government offices, airports, petrol stations, shopping malls, commercial offices, clinics and hospitals, residential complexes and establishments. This is part of the Green Charger initiative, in collaboration with concerned organizations in Dubai. — WAM
