Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority wins at Asian Power Awards 2025

UAE utility leader delivers pioneering AI-powered digital transformation, setting new global standards in customer experience, sustainability, and operational excellence.

Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) has been awarded the Power Utility of the Year – UAE at the prestigious Asian Power Awards 2025, widely known as the “Oscars of the Power Industry.” This recognition not only highlights SEWA’s holistic AI-powered digital transformation but also reflects its unique status as the only utility authority in the region that delivers all three essential services—electricity, water, and gas—under one umbrella. This has enabled SEWA to build a truly integrated and future-ready model of public service delivery, cementing the UAE’s leadership in innovation and sustainability.

Headquartered in Sharjah, SEWA provides electricity, water, and gas services to over 530,000 customer accounts across all nine cities of the Emirate, including Sharjah, Hamriyah, Kalba, Khor Fakkan, and others.

The UAE’s national Zero Bureaucracy vision has been central to SEWA’s digital transformation initiatives. It shaped the redesign of customer journeys, reduced service time from days to seconds, and guided SEWA’s commitment to making customers the true focus of every process.

Through its fully integrated digital transformation programme, SEWA processes more than 1,250 service requests daily via multiple digital channels, including its 4.5-star-rated Smart App, web portal, and UAE Pass login.

At the core of this transformation is NAFFA’A, the first AI-powered virtual agent for utilities in the Middle East and Africa. NAFFA’A has already managed more than 1.3 million interactions, offering 24/7 multilingual support on billing, payments, usage queries, and emergency response. Using natural language processing and machine learning, NAFFA’A—developed with our partner SEW.AI—provides personalised solutions, automates complex workflows, and reduces the load on call centres.

SEWA has also enhanced customer payments with digital wallets, secure online services, and strategic partnerships with Tabby and Tamara. These collaborations enable customers to pay large bills in instalments whilst ensuring the Authority maintains strong financial liquidity and operational continuity.

SEWA’s digital-first approach has delivered measurable sustainability outcomes. By digitising workflows and promoting paperless billing, the Authority has significantly reduced its carbon footprint. Between 2022 and 2025, SEWA successfully closed six out of its ten customer service branches—the most recent on 1 September 2025—while still achieving record-high customer satisfaction scores. This milestone demonstrates how technology-driven innovation can enhance both environmental stewardship and service quality.

On the operational side, SEWA’s workforce of 200 field employees uses SEW’s advanced meter reading app to capture more than 1.2 million meter readings each month across four daily cycles. Supported by real-time dashboards and performance tracking, this initiative has improved accuracy, location-based efficiency, and operational effectiveness.

Since the launch of its transformation, SEWA has processed more than 660,000 digital utility payments, totalling AED650m during the last year. SEWA also sent over 242,000 SMS messages and 288,000 emails to customers each month. These achievements are fully aligned with SEWA’s three strategic pillars: sustainability, digital transformation, and customer-centricity.

Ongoing initiatives include smart metering, the “Ways to Save” programme, and future personalised conservation insights, ensuring that every customer can play a role in grassroots sustainability. These achievements are based on the foundational principles of Public-Private partnership, where SEWA brings its Utility leadership and works with partners who bring global experiences and cutting-edge expertise to make these programmes a success.

SEWA’s recognition at the Asian Power Awards 2025 cements its role as a trailblazer in AI-driven public utilities. It underscores Sharjah’s—and the UAE’s—ability to lead globally in reimagining energy, water, and gas services for a smarter, greener, and more sustainable future.

The win showcases SEWA’s role in representing the UAE at a major continental platform.

The Asian Power Awards is presented by Asian Power Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2026 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's revolutionary innovations and initiatives, please contact Danica Avila at [email protected]