Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) ended the first half of 2026 with 402 transmission substations, 28 at 400 kV and 374 at 132 kV, according to trade press reporting its figures. At the same time it was building 65 new 132 kV substations and one 400 kV substation.
Contracts keep coming
Trade press reported 21 contracts for 132 kV substations awarded in H1 2026, and DEWA plans tenders for more than 30 additional 132 kV substations over the next three years. In May 2026 DEWA put the value of transmission projects under construction at more than AED 8.5 billion, due to finish by 2028.
Down to street level
Distribution is growing as well. DEWA commissioned 793 new 11 kV substations in H1 2026, and its smart grid strategy carries AED 7 billion of investment to 2035. Electricity network losses were 2% in 2025, and water losses 4.4%.
The generation behind it
Clean sources produced 16.23% of DEWA's generation in 2025 and 18.5% in Q1 2026. Its 2030 plan is more than 23 GW of installed capacity, about 8.3 GW of it renewable. Solar Park Phase 7 would add 2,000 MW of solar and 1,400 MW of battery storage; Masdar was reported as lowest bidder in August 2026, and no award had been announced by 30 October 2026.
Who decides on DEWA's spending, how its purchasing channels work, and which grid and water projects suppliers should target first are set out in the full report. The full report, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority: Utility Account Brief, is available for USD 499 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/dubai-electricity-and-water-authority-utility-account-brief. For a free overview, read the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Utility Snapshot at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/utilities/dubai-electricity-and-water-authority.