DEWA Expands Dubai's Transmission Network With 22 New 132kV Substations Launched In 2025

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is expanding its electricity transmission network in 2025, with eight new substations now in service and 250km of underground and overhead lines completed, at a cost above AED1.35 billion, strengthening supply as Dubai’s urban growth and economic activity continue across key residential and industrial districts.

These projects feed into a wider network that already contained 394 transmission substations by the end of the third quarter of 2025, including 27 at 400kV and 367 at 132kV, forming the core of Dubai’s high-voltage grid and supporting long-term planning across residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

The eight newly commissioned substations are located in Al Warsan 4, Al Yalayis 5, Hatta, Saih Shuaib 3, Al Habiyah 5 and Jebel Ali First, with associated underground cables and overhead transmission lines, designed to improve local grid strength and maintain service quality as load increases in different parts of the emirate.

Parallel to these completed assets, DEWA has started work on five additional 132kV main transmission substations, aimed at serving new Emirati residential communities in Latifa City, Al Awir I and Al Khawaneej II, alongside other urban areas such as Al Satwa and Zabeel II, with an estimated total cost of AED560 million.

With these new sites, the number of 132kV substation projects launched by DEWA in 2025 rises to 22, while plans approved for the coming three years target at least 78 similar substations, supporting a strategy to expand capacity, raise efficiency and keep the grid reliable as Dubai’s built-up areas and economic sectors keep growing.

"In line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to provide an advanced and integrated infrastructure for Dubai, we at DEWA are working to deliver electricity and water services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability and efficiency, in order to meet growing demand and to keep pace with the emirate’s sustainable development requirements. The total value of electricity transmission network projects currently under construction exceeds AED8.5 billion. The reliability and availability of DEWA’s transmission lines are close to 100%. The new projects include constructing substations and extending the necessary underground cables to connect them to the main network, using the latest digital technologies and smart systems adopted globally in the energy transmission sector, to ensure the highest levels of safety and operational reliability," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

According to Al Tayer, DEWA’s current transmission development programme also covers the construction of 53 new 132kV substations, 226km of 132kV underground transmission cables, two 400kV substations and 130km of 400kV overhead transmission lines, all scheduled for completion by 2028, as shown in the table below, reinforcing long-distance power flows within Dubai.

These transmission investments indicate a sustained build-out of DEWA infrastructure, combining new substations, extended cable routes and overhead lines with digital control and smart systems, which are intended to keep Dubai’s electricity grid stable, support new housing for Emirati citizens and maintain high service quality across the emirate’s expanding economy.

With inputs from WAM