Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said it has initiated a collaboration with the British Standards Institute (BSI) to set the world's first Publicly Available Standard (PAS) that would document best utility risk management practices for the electricity and water sector.

 

This move comes as part of Dewa’s efforts to consolidate its global positioning and achieve its vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility.

 

The new standard is a key pillar in advancing risk management standards and addressing any problems, constraints or gaps in existing global standards and practices, said a statement from Dewa.

 

The Dubai utility took part in an international workshop held in London, UK, last June aimed at harmonising the new standard by bringing together major utilities in America and Europe to gain consensus on the effectiveness of the specified standards.

 

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and CEO, said the new PAS for risk management in the electricity and water sector is aimed at achieving the highest standards of quality and excellence and also strengthening Dewa's position as a global leader and one of the best utilities for electricity and water sectors in the world.

 

"We expect the new standard to be completed and applied amongst utilities globally by September 2019. This is the newest addition to Dewa’s track record of initiatives and achievements that aims to upgrade the services of the electricity and water sectors around the world; especially in the risk management field, which is constantly increasing due to massive technological developments and a rapid progression of smart transformation," he added. 

 

Al Tayer pointed out that this step was in line with Dewa’s efforts to strengthen institutional risk management in a systematic and efficient manner. 

 

Dewa, he stated, was the first organisation in the Middle East to implement the SAP Risk Management 10.1 and also adopt best international practices derived from the ISO 31000 certificate. 

 

It also adopted the International Standard for Business Continuity Management (ISO 22301), thus becoming the first utility to receive this certificate in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region for its integrated operations,"stated Al Tayer.

 

"We are keen to continuously develop its capabilities, especially when it comes to facing, assessing and responding to potential risks. We recognise the importance of supplying water and electricity to more than 850,000 customers based upon the highest levels of availability, reliability and quality," he added.