Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has received the official Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) cancellation certificate issued by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the successful offset of emissions during the Earth Hour 2016, in cooperation with Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE).
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, received the UNFCCC certificate in the presence of Waleed Salman, Chairman of DCCE; Mohammed Abdul-Karim Al Shamsi, Senior Manager – Sustainability and Climate Change at DEWA; Ivano Iannelli, CEO of DCCE, and Thomas Bosse, Head of Programmes Management at DCCE.
According to Dubai Carbon, the CERs attained by the 13-megawatt 1st phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park were utilised to offset both direct and indirect carbon emissions from the Earth Hour 2016 event, which was organised by DEWA.
“DEWA considers carbon emissions reduction an integral part of its environmental strategy. This is in adherence with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to reduce carbon emissions and move towards a green economy, and the long-term initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ‘Green Economy for Sustainable Development’.
DEWA considers the reduction of carbon emission an integral part of its environmental strategy. DEWA adopted the best integrated green practices in all of its operations to reduce the carbon footprint. The successful cancellation of CERs from DEWA’s projects reinstates our commitment towards climate change mitigation. This is aligned with the objectives of Dubai Plan 2021 to establish Dubai as a smart and sustainable city, whose environmental elements are clean, healthy, and sustainable,” said HE Saeed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.
“We are delighted to be DEWA’s partner in providing carbon offsets for Earth Hour 2016 and hope that other events will follow this example. We expect more investment into carbon-reduction projects in the region, as more organisations in the emirate recognise the importance of mitigating their environmental impact. This supports the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021,” said Waleed Salman, Chairman of DCCE.