Interview with Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO Siemens Middle East

Q&A

In an interview with Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO Siemens Middle East, The Sustainabilist aimed to understand Siemens Energy vision towards sustainability and clean energy

In your view, with the world slowly recovering from the effects of COVID-19, how important should integrating sustainability in the recovery process be? How has Siemens Energy been applying sustainable approaches throughout the recovery process and beyond?

Sustainability should be a top priority for any government or company. We, as a society, need to be careful that we don’t fall short of meeting climate change targets, including the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal. We are currently at a moment in time, where in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can capitalise on the momentum of investment and spending, to align stimulus packages and recovery measures that will secure the future of our environment.

The good news is that we are already seeing this starting to happen. The EU has set up a EUR 750 billion recovery fund with 37% earmarked for climate-related activities. The US is setting up a package of USD 1.9 trillion, and if it moves forward, it will address all sectors – roads, bridges, airports, broadband, etc. - not just energy. But much more must be done, and we can all do more.

How does Siemens Energy support Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) in achieving Dubai’s sustainability targets in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050?

Siemens Energy’s technologies contribute to over 50% of DEWA’s total generation capacity, enough power for more than 2.5 million residents in Dubai.

One recent example is our joint development of the world’s first thermodynamic Digital Twin Gas Turbine (GT) Intelligent Controller, which uses Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. The technology was developed to control the Gas Turbines at M-Station in Jebel Ali, the largest power and water desalination plant in the UAE. As a result, the performance of the five turbines has been increased by up to 3.5 MW each, and NOx emissions have fallen by as much as 10%. Soon, the L station will be equipped with the intelligent controller as well.

Siemens Energy is also collaborating with DEWA, and Expo 2020 Dubai, to build the first solar-powered hydrogen electrolysis facility in the MENA region. Powered by The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned production capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030, the Green Hydrogen project supports our joint efforts in innovation, research, and development of energy storage and sustainability.

We plan to switch our own power consumption to 100% green electricity by 2023 and are aiming to make our own operations climate-neutral by 2030.

Can you tell us more about Siemens Energy endeavours in terms of “green” hydrogen? Are there any other innovative technologies Siemens Energy is exploring and/or investing in?

We are in the process of finalising our green hydrogen plant in Dubai with DEWA, and there will be a hand over ceremony soon. This project has been 2 years in the making. It will be the first project to produce green hydrogen in the Middle East region. It is very exciting. It shows that the UAE is looking ahead to new technologies in all avenues and ideas. They are not followers; they are leaders.

Earlier this year, we also signed agreements with Mubadala and Masdar in the green hydrogen space. Under the agreement with Mubadala, we will work to develop the UAE’s hydrogen economy, and to drive investment and development of advanced technology, manufacture of equipment, and green hydrogen and synthetic fuel production. In association with this agreement, together with Masdar, we are joining forces with the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Etihad Airways, German Lufthansa, Marubeni Corporation, and Khalifa University on an ambitious project that will help pave the way for the development of the UAE’s green hydrogen economy.

We are developing a photovoltaic (PV) powered electrolyser facility, to demonstrate stateof-the-art green hydrogen production technology and present sustainable fuel use cases. The first phase of the demonstration programme will focus on the production of green hydrogen for passenger cars and buses in the Masdar City area. In parallel, a kerosene synthesis plant will be built to convert the majority of the green hydrogen into sustainable aviation fuel. In the second phase of the programme, the production of decarbonised fuels for the maritime sector will be explored.

What are the sustainability targets and investments made by Siemens Energy to contribute to the fight against climate change?

We have set ambitious but achievable goals: We plan to switch our own power consumption to 100% green electricity by 2023 and are aiming to make our own operations climateneutral by 2030.

At the end of last year, we released our first independent Sustainability Report. Sustainability is firmly anchored in all our actions, and our President and CEO Christian Bruch has taken over responsibility as Chief Sustainability Officer, to underscore this commitment. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, guide us in our plans and actions. Siemens Energy actively endorses the Paris Agreement on climate change and supports ambitious political programmes, such as the European Green Deal and the EU hydrogen strategy.

Further crystalising the importance of sustainability in our operations, compensation for members of the executive board is tied to the company’s sustainable development, and meeting certain Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria. Performance indicators selected for ESG targets are measurable quantitatively and are auditable.

How is Siemens Energy setting the standards for the industry in the region when it comes to clean energy?

Siemens Energy owns a majority stake in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, which is one of the largest wind companies in the world. We have a huge amount of wind turbines all over the world. We are one of the leaders in producing green energy. From a portfolio perspective, we have the renewable generation and the gas turbines, which we feel will be the bridge fuel over the next few years. Today, gas turbines are running with natural gas, but ours are also capable of running on hydrogen. If it is green hydrogen, then it is completely green electricity. Today, they can take up to 60% hydrogen, but by 2030, this will be up to 100%.

We strongly believe that in order to advance the energy transition, partnership is the key to unlocking the potential of innovation. Just this year we have partnered with Gamesa to develop an innovative solution that fully integrates an electrolyser into an offshore wind turbine as a single synchronised system to directly produce green hydrogen. The companies intend to provide a full-scale offshore demonstration of the solution by 2025/2026.

We are also collaborating with Air Liquide to develop a large scale electrolyser partnership for sustainable hydrogen production.

Furthermore, our partnership with Linde Engineering is exploring the use of renewable energy and energy storage to help clients in the petrochemical industry meet carbon emissionsand environmental sustainability goals.