Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) hosted the Annual Good Practice Visit of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). This was to review the standards and practices of excellence adopted by DEWA’s divisions in all its activities and operations, and introduce them to the business community. DEWA received the highest award from the EFQM in recognition of its role in achieving outstanding levels of sustainable excellence in all fields of EFQM excellence models. The visit underlines DEWA’s quest for excellence, promotes its global and leading role in spreading a culture of excellence, and inspiring organisations around the world to adopt best practices and achieve the highest quality standards. This also achieves DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, DEWA’s Executive Vice Presidents, senior officials, and directors, welcomed the 50 member delegation of the EFQM. The visit included DEWA Campus for Occupational and Academic Development, DEWA’s Future Customer Happiness Centre at Ibn Battuta Mall, and DEWA’s Jebel Ali Power & Desalination Complex. DEWA officials briefed the visiting delegation on best practices in energy and water production, sustainability, corporate excellence, innovation and the future, and corporate social responsibility (CSR), underpinning DEWA as one of the most prominent global utilities and the most distinguished in all its operations.
“I would like to thank the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) for visiting Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) to review DEWA’s best-practice and excellence journey. As His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, once said, “The race for Excellence has no finish line.” We are proud to take part in this race and I would like to share with you DEWA’s experiences and achievements. We are working to achieve DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility. DEWA’s strategy is aligned to the UAE Centennial 2071, the UAE Vision 2021, the Dubai Plan 2021, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, the Demand-Side Management Strategy 2030, the UAE Green Growth Strategy, and other relevant strategies. We intend to secure a happy and sustainable life for future generations, and ensure we always rank first in all areas,” said Al Tayer.
“Today, DEWA has a world-class infrastructure, with a capacity of 10,413MW of electricity and 470 million imperial gallons of desalinated water per day (MIGD) to meet the ever-increasing demand in Dubai. At the same time our assets have grown to exceed AED 144 billion and our necessary investments will amount to AED 81 billion over the next five years to meet the continuing demand for electricity and water in Dubai. Our extensive efforts resulted in the UAE, represented by DEWA, achieving first place globally for getting electricity, as per the World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 report. We also received over 190 prestigious local and international awards over the last four years. We have been recognised as a world-class utility based on our benchmarked performance. DEWA has the lowest Customer Minutes Lost (CML) in the world of 2.68 minutes, and one of the lowest water-loss rates of 7.1% compared to an average of 15% in North America. Our network line losses are just 3.3% compared with the average of 6 to 7% in Europe and North America,” added Al Tayer.
“Our strategy relies on excellence. The EFQM framework is an integral part of our efforts to achieve this. DEWA is the first organisation outside Europe to receive the Global Excellence Award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). We are the first organisation to do this with its first application. Through this pioneering achievement, DEWA is now in the Platinum category, which is the highest international rank in the Global Excellence Index. In 2016, we received the award for distinguished government entity from the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP), and in 2017, we received the Leading Government Entity award, making DEWA the first such government entity to receive this award based on the 4th generation excellence model. In 2018, we achieved even more success, winning 6 awards at the DGEP, including: Dubai Giving, People-of-Determination-Friendly Government Entity – for supporting People of Determination – the term used by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as a mark of respect for people with disabilities. We also won Best Entity in Customers’ Happiness, and Best Entity in Innovative Administrative Initiative, for our use of the Independent Power Producer business model. In addition, DEWA won the Dubai Quality Award based on EFQM Criteria, and the Dubai Human Capital Development award: both in the Gold category,” noted Al Tayer.
“Our adherence to excellence and innovation is what has enabled us to produce world-class initiatives such as the largest single-site solar park in the world, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will eventually produce 5,000 megawatts by 2030. DEWA launched three smart initiatives to support Smart Dubai, to make Dubai the happiest and smartest city in the world. These are Shams Dubai, to encourage home and building owners to install photovoltaic solar panels on rooftops to produce energy and connect it to DEWA’s grid; Smart Applications through Smart Meters and Grids, and the Green Charger Initiative to establish the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations across Dubai. Our efforts and innovative approach combined with meticulous planning have enabled us to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and manage the new global transformation by using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). This supports the 10X initiative to propel Dubai into the future, by using innovation to put it 10 years ahead of other global cities in delivering advanced government services. We decided to reshape the concept of a utility and create a new digital future for Dubai by launching ‘Digital DEWA,’ the digital arm of DEWA. Digital DEWA will implement a pioneering new model for utilities that uses innovation in renewable energy, energy storage, Artificial Intelligence and digital services. This model will disrupt the entire business of public utilities by becoming the world’s first digital utility,” he added.
“DEWA has a robust governance framework, a mature award-winning risk management strategy and policy, and a resilient business continuity management framework. We are working today for a better tomorrow, by ensuring that our children’s children will enjoy a brighter future based on our work today,” noted Al Tayer.
“Your visit coincides with the Year of Zayed, which marks 100 years since the birth of the Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. With the determination of the people of Zayed, we will continue our focus on the sustainable development initiated by him, and continued by our wise leadership, to make the UAE a key global player in sustainable development,” concluded Al Tayer.
At the end of the visit, the delegation expressed their gratitude to DEWA’s leadership for welcoming and organising the event, and for providing a good explanation of the excellence practices adopted by DEWA. They stressed that DEWA has become a global benchmark for institutional excellence and that the EFQM is keen to disseminate these practices and global achievements amongst business community around the world to promote excellence, and improve the standards of quality and corporate excellence.
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