Etihad Water and Electricity Company (EtihadWE) aims, through its projects in the water and electricity sectors, to achieve its vision of effectively contributing to the UAE's efforts in achieving sustainability in its economic and social pillars. It also strives to preserve the environment, minimize resource wastage, and align with the objectives of the UAE Green Agenda 2030.
Eng. Yousif Ahmed Al Ali, the CEO of the company, emphasized in a statement to “WAM” the company’s dedication to enhancing the sustainability of the electricity sector through infrastructure development across the northern regions where its services are provided. This is done to ensure the efficiency of the transmitted service, taking into consideration the annual growth rate and the necessity of expanding the network. The company also collaborates with strategic partners to support the transition to clean and renewable energy sources.
In line with these efforts, “Etihad Water and Electricity” recently entered into a strategic partnership agreement with "Masdar” to establish a wind turbine power generation station. The project will contribute to the EtihadWE network by generating a production capacity of 4.5 megavolt-ampere. Furthermore, in coordination with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the company is working on unifying regulations and procedures, as well as updating and approving common standards and specifications related to the installation of solar panels and renewable energy units.
The company operates approximately 130 main and substation power plants in the northern regions, in addition to over 19,000 low-voltage distribution stations. These facilitates serve more than 1.5 million consumers across a wide geographic area spanning five emirates.
Al Ali reiterated the company's commitment to adopting the latest production and operational technologies and innovations that align with global best practices. This commitment enhances the UAE's leading position in the field and contributes to the optimal and sustainable allocation of resources.
several of these technologies have been effectively implemented by the company. For example, the Variable Frequency Drive VFD technology is utilized in the "Naqaa" desalination plant, which has a daily production capacity of 150 million gallons through reverse osmosis. The VFD technology plays a crucial role in optimizing pump energy consumption, as the pump output pressure and flow rates can be constantly matched to the varying requirements of the process. Additionally, the plant incorporates Pressure Exchanger (PX) technology, which efficiently converts energy from the rejected brine into feed water for reverse osmosis membranes, resulting in significant energy saving of up to 60% in the plant’s operations.
Moreover, the company has employed various technologies and innovative ideas in the construction of the Al Khuraijah Water Distribution Center, which boasts a storage capacity of 180 million gallons. Strategically located in an elevated area, the center facilitates gravity-fed water distribution to most areas, reducing reliance on pumping. This design choice has resulted in substantial energy savings of approximately 36 million kilowatt-hours per year that would have been consumed by pumping. The implementation of Slip Form technology in the construction of the center's tanks has also ensured minimized water leakage by preventing the formation of expansion joints associated with traditional construction methods.