Dubai’s main utility and EDF to cooperate on storage and cleantech R&D

January 19, 2017
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

Signing of the MoU, witnessed by French ambassador to the UAE, Michel Miraillet (standing, right). Image: DEWA.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has signed a cooperation agreement with the renewables arm of major French utility EDF to share expertise and experience in areas including energy storage, renewables, EV chargers and energy system integration.

Witnessed by the ambassador of France to the UAE, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the World Future Energy Summit event taking place this week in Abu Dhabi between EDF’s senior executive vice president of renewable energies Antoine Cahuzac and Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, who is CEO and president of utility and government agency DEWA.

According to a DEWA statement, the signing of the MoU will support the Dubai utility’s efforts to “build strategic partnerships that employ regional and international capabilities to drive sustainable development, tackle climate change, and enhance energy efficiency”.

The pair will work together on research and development (R&D) in energy system integration, energy storage, renewable energy, distributed energy resources, demand response, energy resilience, disaster recovery, EV charging stations and laboratory infrastructure development.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Dubai has in place its own Clean Energy Strategy 2050, aiming for 75% renewables in its energy mix by that year. DEWA last year signed what is thought to be the world’s lowest priced solar PPA for an 800MW project in Dubai at less than three cents a kilowatt hour.

“We strive to enhance cooperation in R&D, and exchange expertise in areas of mutual interest. This will contribute to innovating analytical methodologies, and improving tools to develop innovative solutions to increase energy efficiency and further promote renewable energy use,” Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer said.

“This in turn, will contribute to achieving the sustainable development and protect natural resources for generations to come.”

7 April 2026
Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
Co-located with the extremely well renowned Middle East Energy Show, join us for the inaugural Energy Storage Middle East Summit in Dubai, April 2026, as we bring our world leading energy storage series to one of the world’s fastest-growing BESS markets. This landmark event will explore the Middle East’s trajectory to become the third largest storage market globally by 2026, with a special focus on the region’s ambitious renewable energy targets and BESS integration strategies.

Read Next

January 27, 2026
More BESS news from across Europe, with ContourGlobal and Alpiq striking sizeable deals in Greece and France, Iberdrola putting projects into operation in Spain, and other project news in Germany, Poland, Denmark and Southeast Europe.
Premium
January 22, 2026
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have emerged as two of the world’s most prominent energy storage markets, with mega-scale projects announced and moved forward at a staggering pace over the last two years. But what does the next phase look like?
January 21, 2026
Another roundup of European grid-scale BESS project news, led by MORE and Zenobe putting Greece and UK projects into operation, and major project financings/construction starts by Acacia in France, Greenvolt in Hungary and Eco Stor in Germany.
January 14, 2026
IPP Neoen will provide Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) with grid-forming function from a BESS project in Brittany, France.
January 6, 2026
It’s our first week back to normal service so here’s a roundup of the past few weeks of BESS action in Europe, with projects moving forward in Romania, Denmark, UK, France, Spain, Albania, Germany and Austria.