DUBAI // Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, has launched a series of workshops aimed at helping develop the local drone industry.
Named Sirb, meaning “fleet” in Arabic, the initiative was announced as part of the DEWA 2021 strategy workshop on Wednesday.
According to Mr Al Tayer, DEWA has adopted a comprehensive strategy to foster creative ideas and research programmes in renewable energy and water.
“We are also committed to implementing the best studies and research in all our operations and services to achieve our vision of becoming a sustainable world class utility,” added Mr Al Tayer.
DEWA is also looking into expanding the scope of its drone use. In addition to locating equipment, DEWA is experimenting with technology to detect overhead line insulator failures that can cause power outages.
“This initiative will greatly improve our operational efficiency by accelerating operations, increasing safety during regular network testing and maintenance, and accurately detecting failures,” said Mr Al Tayer.
In addition to these uses, the authority aims to use drones to monitor the installation of infrastructure for water and electricity.
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