Earth Hour, a DEWA initiative, achieved a saving rate of 216,000 KW/h and cut carbon emissions by an estimated 130,000 kilograms in 2012. The figures represented a 6 per cent increase in savings compared to Earth Hour 2011. The UAE also has a vision to become the lowest-carbon emission producing economy in the region by creating an environmentally friendly and sustainable energy policy, according to the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030. Current scenarios forecast an expected annual growth rate of 5 per cent over the next 20 years. To address the challenge of managing the increased demand for energy, Al Tayer stressed that it is vitally important to implement a more efficient and sustainable energy policy that incorporates a diversified energy mix. This will be achieved by complementing still-dominant gas usage with a fair share of clean coal, nuclear and renewable energies, he added.? Enough reserves? “DEWA has enough reserves of electricity and water until 2020,” Al Tayer said. “Moreover, the completion of one of DEWAs biggest projects, the M station, will increase the power generation capacity from 8,700 megawatts to 9,600 megawatts, while desalinated water capacity would increase to 470 million gallons per day, compared to 330 million gallons per day last year.” Al Tayer noted that the utility is building a large water reservoir in Al Gafat, capable of storing of 170 million gallons for emergency cases. “This capacity represents the consumption of water for two days but would be enough for 30 days in an emergency, he added. from gulfnews.com