Dubai utility's new project drives down emissions significantly

Dewa's Testiac system contributed to the reduction of more than 44,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually

The project enhanced the performance of three gas turbines at the L-station of the Jebel Ali Power and Desalination Complex. Photo: Dewa

A project introduced by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has contributed to the reduction of more than 44,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is equivalent to planting two million trees.

The thermal energy storage and turbine inlet air chilling (Testiac) project enhanced the performance of three gas turbines at the L-station of Dewa's Jebel Ali Power and Desalination Complex and helped to cut the consumption of natural gas in electricity generation, the utility said on Wednesday.

“Dewa contributed to reducing carbon emissions in Dubai by 21 per cent in 2021, exceeding the target in the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021, which aimed to reduce 16 per cent of carbon emissions by 2021,” said Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dewa.

The latest move comes at a time when Dubai continues to take measures to generate 100 per cent of the emirate's total power needs from clean energy sources by 2050.

It is building clean energy projects, including the 5,000-megawatt Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world’s largest single-site solar park.

The emirate is also pursuing a green hydrogen strategy as the use of the clean fuel continues to rise globally.

The Testiac project was started to increase the generating capacity of gas turbines during high “ambient temperatures” in summer.

It does this by using chilled water to cool the air intake of gas turbines, according to Dewa.

The process consumes less energy than the additional energy produced and resulted in the cumulative generation capacity of the three gas turbines increasing by 111 megawatts, it said.

“We spare no effort to make Dubai a model for clean and renewable energy, sustainability … and finding sustainable solutions to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change,” Mr Al Tayer said.

The UAE plans to invest Dh600 billion in clean energy projects as part of its Net Zero 2050 strategy.

It is also building the world's largest solar plant in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region, with a total capacity of two gigawatts.