On Zero Emissions Day, EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company), a leading company in the integrated planning, purchasing, supply, and system despatch services of water and electricity across the UAE, highlighted its leadership in accelerating the decarbonization of Abu Dhabi’s water and power sector. Through the strategic integration of renewable and clean energy, advanced storage technologies, and low-carbon-intensive desalination, EWEC is delivering measurable reductions in emissions while maintaining system reliability and resilience.
EWEC’s strategy directly supports the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s (DoE) Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035 for Electricity Production, which aims for 60 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s power demand to be met by carbon-free sources by 2035. By 2030, EWEC forecasts a 54 per cent reduction in the average carbon dioxide intensity of electricity generation, from 330 kg/MWh in 2019 to an estimated 150 kg/MWh, and a 94 per cent reduction in emissions associated with water production, from 11.5 kg/m³ in 2019 to less than 0.6 kg/m³.
Easa Alzarooni, System Operations Executive Director at EWEC, said: “On Zero Emissions Day, we recognize that meaningful decarbonization requires measurable progress at a system level. EWEC is integrating world-class transformative renewable energy, advancing energy storage, and decoupling water from power through reverse osmosis, all while ensuring grid reliability and energy security. These initiatives allow us to minimize emissions while meeting the growing needs of Abu Dhabi’s economy. As we expand renewable and clean capacity and enhance operability across the system, we remain focused on efficiency, resilience, and delivering against national sustainability objectives, including the Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035 and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.”
As part of its efforts to enable credible emissions reduction across Abu Dhabi’s economy, EWEC serves as the Single Registrant and Auction Operator of the DoE’s Clean Energy Certificates (CECs) scheme, the Emirate’s only accredited mechanism to verify that electricity consumption originates from renewable or clean generation sources. Issued in units of one megawatt-hour (MWh), CECs comply with the internationally recognized I-REC Standard and verify ownership of the associated environmental and economic attributes. By matching their electricity consumption with certified clean energy, organizations and individuals in Abu Dhabi can reduce Scope 2 emissions transparently and in line with international best practices, supporting corporate ESG frameworks and national climate goals.
Participation in the CECs scheme continues to grow across priority sectors, including healthcare, events, real estate, manufacturing, and education, reflecting rising demand for verifiable decarbonization. The programme supports market-based Scope 2 reporting, offering auditable traceability from issuance to retirement via a secure registry. With the inclusion of wind energy CECs alongside solar and clean sources, the scheme is expanding the range of options available to consumers and strengthening Abu Dhabi’s renewable and clean electricity ecosystem.
EWEC is at the centre of Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s renewable and clean energy transformation, expanding utility-scale solar and wind, deploying battery energy storage systems, and accelerating low-carbon-intensive RO desalination to deliver a more efficient, reliable, and sustainable power and water system that supports the long-term realization of the nation’s sustainability and socio-economic development goals.
