Dubai utility promotes its clean image. Wallpaper courtesy of DEWA
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the monopoly power and water utility in the emirate of Dubai, is seeking projects that could yield a lucrative supply of carbon credits for trading on European markets.
It said today it had received nine "quite interesting" offers from international, regional and local companies for projects to reduce DEWA's carbon emissions.
"The initial evaluation of the offers resulted in DEWA entering into negotiations with some of these companies. This bids offered a variety of potential opportunities for DEWA; it is foreseen to invite some of those other companies for further discussions,"
said Saeed al Tayer, the utility's chief executive. He did not elaborate on the nature of the proposals.
In October, DEWA issued an open call for bids on projects eligible for registration with the Kyoto Protocol's
Clean Development Mechanism, which enables companies pursuing emissions-reduction projects in developing countries to acquire tradable carbon credits. This provides a potential financial offset to the companies' investments and a means for such projects to generate profits.
The Dubai utility does not stand alone in its quest for carbon credits. Its Abu Dhabi counterpart, the
Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, as well as the Abu Dhabi government-owned clean energy company
Masdar, are also looking to the Clean Development Mechanism to make going green pay off. But as my colleague
Chris Stanton reports, the credits trail is littered with project-choking red tape.
Bert Kleinveld, the director of special projects at DEWA, said the utility's credits were expected to come from reductions in carbon emissions from DEWA's existing operations, as well as its involvement in Dubai's "green building" initiative and future waste-to-energy and solar developments.
"We are looking at all projects across DEWA's divisions from customer service, generation, transmission and distribution where we can reduce emission," he recently told
Emirates Business 24/7.
DEWA has not disclosed how much carbon dioxide it spews into the atmosphere from facilities such as power stations and water desalination plants fueled by natural gas or, increasingly, oil.
The
World Wide Fund for Nature in 2008 published a study based on 2005 data that found the UAE had the world's biggest per capita carbon footprint. The country's well developed energy, real estate and construction sectors contributed significantly to that finding.
A list of companies that submitted proposals to DEWA follows:
BNP Paribas - a Paris-based bank with a sustainable development agenda;
EDF Trading - a trading house specialising in international wholesale energy markets;
First Climate - an international carbon asset management company;
RWE - one of Germany's biggest utilities;
Vitol - an international energy trading company.
Dubai is going green and so was published in the international forum in 2007 as 22 billion dollars was meant to be spent on a green city.
Thanks for you comment. Yes, there are many businesses in Dubai that are seeking to go green. To set the record straight, however, I believe the $22bn green city is being built in the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi. That would be Masdar City. Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it should be noted, are part of the same country, the United Arab Emirates.
Ya I'm with the other guy on this one too. If you don't already live here, don't even bother. the city is way too packed, way too expensive, and it's only getting worse. You'll be looking at a price range from $800-$1200 ($800 if your very lucky) per month just for a one bedroom apartment
Very informative post. I have found your blog via Yahoo and I’m really happy about the information you provide in your articles. Would be great if you could fix that. Anyhow keep up the good work!
The World Wide Fund for Nature in 2008 published a study based on 2005 data that found the UAE had the world's biggest per capita carbon footprint. The country's well developed energy, real estate and construction sectors contributed significantly to that finding.
You are referring to the 2008 edition of the Living Planet report, produced by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Global Footprint Network and the Zoological Society of London.
Of some interest was that the UAE Government for the first time co-operated with the authors of the report by providing locally sourced data. Even so, the UAE still came out at the top of the list, as it had done two years earlier.
We wrote about that in The National in an article dated October 29, 2008. Here is the link: http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081029/NATIONAL/229065952&SearchID=73401550200593
Wow! This is a very great news. Hope that this project will make it's way to success and wish that its functionality remains for a long time.
The Dubai utility does not stand alone in its quest for carbon credits. Its Abu Dhabi counterpart, the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority [is also seeking carbon credits].
I’ve been visiting your blog for a while now and I always find a gem in your new posts.
Thanks for sharing.
Actually, I have been heard about things that are happening in Dubai. Thanks for sharing this great news from Dubai, I can't help myself to get happy because of this interesting post. Thank you for sharing.
This is a great information, I enjoy it very much, and I hope for more video of the show. It's too good to be true.