DEWA commissions 60 MIG Lusaily water reservoir

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has commissioned a 60 million imperial gallons (MIG) water reservoir in Lusaily at a total investment of $42.7m (Dhs157.4m).

The new reinforced concrete reservoir has been built alongside the existing one, which stores 120 MIG of desalinated water and the project supports the utility firm’s efforts to enhance water security and meet growing demand.

“The water reservoirs we are building help increase the water flow and raise the volume of Dubai’s water reserve to meet the growing demand and increase the efficiency and reliability of water networks to support the sustainable development of the city,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA.

DEWA is currently working on three other reservoir projects in Nakhali, Hassyan and Hatta in addition to the newly commissioned water reservoir in Lusaily. The projects, which are set to increase the company’s storage capacity to 1,151 MIG from 881 MIG currently, are expected to be completed this year and next year.

The utility giant’s research and development efforts and the latest global technologies have reduced losses in water transmission and distribution networks from 42 per cent in 1988 to 4.5 per cent in 2022.

DEWA has commissioned a water reservoir in the Lusaily area. The project has a storage capacity of 60 million imperial gallons (MIG) and investments totalling AED 157.4 million. #DEWANews pic.twitter.com/rgBLal077m

— DEWA | Official Page (@DEWAOfficial) May 29, 2023

DEWA plans to have a gross installed capacity of 20 gigawatts (GW) and 730 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of desalinated water by 2030. The company plans to obtain 5 per cent of the 20 GW from clean sources of energy while 240 MIGD of desalination capacity will be achieved using reverse osmosis technology.

<DEWA’s profitability

Meanwhile, DEWA’s first-quarter net profit surged by 10.4 per cent to $208m (Dhs763m), driven by higher energy and water demand in the city.

The utility firm’s revenue for the first three months of the year hit Dhs5.44bn, up 7.3 per cent year-on-year (YoY). For the last twelve months, DEWA’s total revenue was Dhs28bn and its net profit was Dhs8.1bn.

DEWA said the demand for water in the city jumped by 6.25 per cent to reach 32.3 billion imperial gallons (BIG) in Q1 2023 compared to 30.4 BIG during the same period while average customer water consumption was higher than that of 2022.

The company served 1.2 million in the first three months of the year, an increase of 12,212 customers from Q4 2022 and an increase of 51,022 compared to the first quarter of 2022.

Founded in 1992 following the merger of the Dubai Electricity Company with the Dubai Water Department, DEWA is the exclusive electricity and water utility provider to Dubai’s 3.5 million residents.

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