Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that its investments in electricity transmission network projects have now exceeded AED 7.6 billion. According to HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, the authority commissioned four 132 kV substations with a conversion capacity of 450 megavolt-amperes during the first half of 2025. The cost for these projects was AED 725 million and included extending 228 kilometers of transmission cables.
Al Tayer stated that DEWA is currently building 49 new 132 kV substations and two additional substations at the higher voltage level of 400 kV. The organization is also inviting main contractors to submit proposals for the implementation of 11 more new 132 kV transmission substations. Over the next three years, DEWA plans to issue tenders for over 57 further substations at the same voltage level and extend another 160 kilometers of underground transmission cables.
“In line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we continue to develop an integrated and advanced energy infrastructure that enhances the efficiency and reliability of the electricity transmission and distribution network in Dubai to meet the increasing demand for energy in the emirate and keep pace with population and economic growth. This supports the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Social Agenda 33 to develop a truly optimal city with an exceptional quality of life. In our projects, we adopt the latest technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which have contributed to achieving 100% reliability and availability in the power transmission system and a ‘best-in-class’ rating among global utilities since 2018,” said Al Tayer.
Hussain Lootah, Executive Vice President of Transmission Power at DEWA, said that new substations are being built in various locations such as two sites in Al Yalayis 5 for citizens’ housing projects, along with facilities in Hatta and Warsan 4. By mid-2025, DEWA had reached a total count of 391 electricity transmission substations—27 operating at 400 kV and another 364 at 132 kV.
The completion of these projects involved over four-and-a-half million working hours using internationally approved digital technologies. This approach aligns with DEWA’s strategy to enhance digital transformation across all its services while aiming to provide high-quality services that meet standards for availability, reliability, efficiency, and safety.
Contracts have been awarded by DEWA for construction on ten new main substations (132 kV) across several areas including Al Barsha South 2, Business Bay, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Airport City, Nad Al Sheba 1, and Wadi Al Safa 5. The combined value amounts to AED1.1 billion. Additional contracts were given out for extending cable connections between these new stations totaling about sixty-one kilometers at a cost nearing AED288 million.
