Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that its electricity transmission projects have exceeded AED 7.6 billion ($2.07 billion) in value as of the first half of 2025, as the utility ramps up investment to meet increasing demand in the emirate.
The state-run utility commissioned four 132-kilovolt substations with a combined conversion capacity of 450 MVA, at a cost of AED 725 million ($198 million), alongside the extension of 228 km of transmission cables, Managing Director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said this week.
DEWA is currently developing 49 additional 132 kV substations and two 400 kV stations, while seeking bids for 11 more 132 kV substations. Over the next three years, the company expects to tender more than 57 substations and lay 160 km of underground cables.
The expansion is aligned with Dubai’s D33 Economic and Social Agendas, Al Tayer noted, adding that the utility continues to adopt advanced technologies to boost grid reliability and support the emirate’s rapid economic and population growth.
Hussain Lootah, Executive VP of Transmission Power, said new substations are serving multiple areas, including Al Yalayis 5, Hatta, and Warsan 4. DEWA’s total substation count reached 391 by mid-2025, comprising 27 at 400 kV and 364 at 132 kV.
DEWA also awarded contracts for 10 new 132 kV substations in districts such as Business Bay, Al Barsha South 2, and Airport City, with a total value of AED 1.1 billion ($300 million). Cable projects worth AED 288 million ($78 million) will connect the stations to the main grid.
The projects required over 4.5 million work hours and reflect DEWA’s broader digital transformation drive, the utility said.
