Dubai Municipality picked preferred bidders for two packages of its AED 80 billion sewerage tunnel programme in June 2026. As of 10 November 2026, neither had been formally awarded. MEED reported in October that a hold-up on the legal side and talks over risk allocation had delayed the awards.
Three wastewater decisions in the queue
The tunnels are not the only open item. Bids for the Jebel Ali sewage treatment plant Phases 1–2 contract, estimated at US$300 million and adding 100,000 m³ a day of capacity, were submitted on 9 July 2026, after deadline extensions. A separate 30-year partnership for Jebel Ali Phase 3, with an ultimate capacity of up to 1 million m³ a day, received statements of qualification on 23 July 2026, and about 12 firms are expected to qualify. The third tunnel package, Links, has bids due on 19 November 2026, after its deadline moved from 30 September.
Desalination is further ahead
DEWA's side moves faster. The first 60 MIGD block of the 180 MIGD Hassyan plant has been in service since the first quarter of 2026, and all phases are due in the first quarter of 2027. A 60 MIGD second phase worth AED 1.76 billion was signed in 2026. DEWA's open work is now in pipelines: two Hassyan transmission packages drew bids from AED 335.92 million to AED 989.653 million in July 2026.
Drainage is the exception
Dubai Municipality's Tasreef stormwater programme has awarded about AED 6.9 billion of contracts across three rounds since April 2025, within an estimated AED 30 billion total due for completion in 2033. The latest round, worth AED 3 billion, was awarded in October 2026.
Which consortia hold the tunnel packages, how the trade-press capex estimates differ, how each project is financed and where suppliers, contractors and investors can still enter are set out in the report. The full report, Water Infrastructure Investment and Project Pipeline in Dubai, is available for USD 249. For a free overview, see Dubai City Snapshot.