Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, or Dewa, received a delegation from the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority headed by its CEO Adnan Al Mohaisen. Al Tayer stressed the importance of GCC interconnection, due to its important role in increasing the reliability and efficiency of all the GCC’s power network by contributing to reserves, providing support and enhancing energy trade and exchange. Dewa officials at the meeting included Hussain Essa Lootah, executive vice-president of power transmission; Waleed Salman, executive vice-president of strategy and business development; and Yousef Jebril, executive vice-president of power and water planning. GCCIA delegates included Ahmed Ali Al Ebrahim, director of system operations and maintenance and market operations; and Abdul-Mohsen H. Al Musallami, manager of executive affairs. Al Tayer emphasised that grid interconnection in the GCC countries promotes the capability, capacity and reliability of the grids in the region. It also makes power trade and exchange at emergencies easy and available, enables the participant countries in the project to contribute to electricity reserve, reduces the reserve of generation capacities and enhances the stability of the grids. “The Dewa is looking forward to making best use and maximising the benefits of connecting the UAE grid to the GCC grid. It is very important to maximise these benefits by making effective improvements in power trading and exchange. It is also important to enhance the capacity of the interconnection grid to match the existing grids of GCC countries and the potential growth of electricity demand, when considering future interconnections at both regional and international levels,” said Al Tayer. From : Khalij