Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said it had signed up Honeywell, a leading global technology and manufacturing company, for the supply and installation of new smart electricity meters across the emirate.

Speaking at the ongoing Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (Wetex 2018) in Dubai, the utility said it aims to install a total of 270,000 new smart meters across Dubai under Phase Three of its ‘Smart Applications via Smart Grid and Meters’ smart initiative.

The project aims to develop smart infrastructure for electricity transmission and distribution networks, to enhance the speed of service delivery and response.

This ensures a quick reconnection in case of unplanned service interruption, while rationalising smart energy consumption by monitoring consumption details simultaneously at any time, using smart meters, said a statement from Dewa.

This in turn, ensures customer satisfaction and happiness and supports the sustainability of resources. Smart grids provide advanced features including automatic decision-making capabilities and interoperability across the power grid.

Dewa said its partnership with Honeywell focuses on promoting smart energy, energy efficiency, and greater sustainability across Dubai through smart infrastructure and systems.

"During this phase of the project, Dewa cooperates with Honeywell for the installation of 270,000 additional smart electric meters throughout Dubai, bringing the total number of smart meters that will be installed to approximately 700,000," remarked Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and CEO of Dewa and founder and chairman of Wetex.

Dewa is set to complete the installation of about one million smart electric meters by 2020, covering the entire emirate and replacing all electro-mechanical meters, he stated.

According to him, the smart grid contributes to Dewa’s strategic goals of conserving the environment and natural resources by rationalising consumption, ensuring the implementation of the Demand Side Management Strategy to reduce energy and water demand by 30 per cent by 2030.

"The smart grid includes plans and programmes valued at around Dh7 billion ($1.9 billion), with 11 programmes to be completed in short, medium and long-term phases between 2014 and 2035," added Al Tayer.

Norm Gilsdorf, President of Honeywell, High Growth Regions, Middle East, and Russia, said: "Helping to create a smarter and more energy efficient Dubai remains a key commitment for Honeywell. We are working with our clients to support the achievement of the government's sustainability goals."

"We are proud to be selected by Dewa to complete the next phase of smart metering. By leveraging our connected technologies, we are focused on promoting smarter electricity usage across the emirate," he stated.

Edwin Meijer, General Manager of Smart Energy Business, said: "Honeywell smart meters enable Dewa to create a smarter power grid, providing smart energy management solutions that drive energy efficiency, operational improvements, and cost savings for Dewa."

Dewa also has an agreement with Itron Silver Spring Networks to establish an AMI communication radio frequency mesh canopy, while Siemens has completed the meter data management system for its ‘Smart Applications via Smart Grid and Meters’ initiative.-TradeArabia News Service