​​After His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, may God protect him, announced 2023 as the ‘Year of Sustainability’, Etihad Water and Electricity announced, in turn, the follow-up to the implementation of its projects aimed at supporting sustainability efforts through the path of the green economy, focusing on the water, energy and environment sectors.

Eng. Yousif Ahmed Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer, said that the company is constantly seeking to develop its operations in line with the vision of the leadership and keeping pace with the government directions, the most prominent of which in the current stage is the focus on the principles of sustainability, taking into account all the pillars that make up this concept, including technology pillar that expresses the use of clean technologies to contribute to the preservation of resources and reduce the environmental burden.

EtihadWE works on 4 main pillars to contribute effectively to achieving water sustainability. These pillars are represented in the abundance of production, raising storage capacity, maintaining water quality and developing infrastructure.

Eng. Yousif Ahmed Al Ali said that the new desalination plant in Umm Al Quwain with a capacity of 150 million gallons per day is the most prominent of the projects that have been completed during the recent period related to the pillar of abundant production. He is likely that it will not be the last, especially in light of the studies that expected the water needs of the areas in which we provide our services to double by the year 2036.

​In this regard, Al Ali stressed the company's endeavors to conclude strategic partnerships with the private sector when implementing its long-term projects based on their importance in overcoming the challenges of achieving sustainable development and supplying the national economy with promising investments. The UAQ plant represents the most prominent form of these partnerships with an investment amount exceeding two billion Dirhams through the IPP model through which the project was implemented.

​He said that raising the water storage capacity in turn represents an important pillar in achieving water sustainability, stressing the EtihadWE's endeavors to maintain a storage capacity of not less than 500 million gallons, with the launch of projects that would raise this capacity successively in parallel with other projects and the population growth rates.

He touched on the storage and distribution center of Al Khurijah, which was recently operated and represents the company's largest project to raise the water storage capacity, pointing out that EtihadWE relies on the latest technologies used globally in this field, such as prestressed concrete tanks and slipform method.

He said that preserving water quality is not only a major pillar in the company's role to ensure water sustainability, but it is also an important pillar for achieving health security, stressing that EtihadWE applies an elaborate system in this field.

​With regard to the pillar of developing the infrastructure of water utilities, Al Ali said that it is no less important than the rest of the pillars that form the water sustainability system, as it complements it and expresses the company's mission to achieve its vision that focuses on leadership in providing services and supporting the concept of sustainability in its various aspects.

He said that the development of this pillar focuses on the expansion of the water network in all regions and the implementation of the project to replace the old networks with new ones with higher efficiency and a greater level of reliability, which in turn contributes to reducing technical losses in the network to a minimum.

Electric energy is the main engine in the wheel of development and the cornerstone for achieving the desired sustainability. In this regard, the CEO emphasized that the EtihadWE's efforts to support the sustainability of the electric power sector focus on developing its infrastructure along the regions it serves in order to ensure efficient service, as well as supporting efforts to shift to clean and renewable energy sources, in cooperation with our strategic partners.

Based on the rationalization of consumption, which is a main part of the National Energy & Water Demand Management Programme, EtihadWE pays special attention to the rationalizing consumption and reducing waste in resources, and links it to all of its plans and operations, especially since this matter is related to environmental considerations that cannot be ignored, which represent an essential aspect sustainable development.

On this basis, the company is keen to apply the latest technologies in this field, such as electromagnetic valves to control the water level inside the tanks, (XP) devices and (VFD) technology.

The CEO confirmed that EtihadWE is also keen on the societal aspect by launching initiatives aimed at consolidating the culture of rationalization in society.

He pointed out that the company uses various means of communication in its awareness efforts, including social media platforms and digital notifications, in addition to educational lectures, discussion sessions, and others.

He touched on other initiatives in this area, such as the smart meters project, with its role in monitoring and directing consumption, and the green charger stations project, which contributes to the provision of appropriate infrastructure that allows the spread of electric vehicles, which is also consistent with the UAE's directions in switching to clean energy sources and reducing the carbon footprint.

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