DEWA has commissioned 793 new 11kV substations across Dubai during the first six months of 2026, part of an ongoing push to keep the emirate's power grid ahead of its expanding neighbourhoods, business districts and investment projects.
The construction and related works behind these new substations required 624,340 man-hours, according to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.
Reliability figures remain steady
Alongside the new substations, DEWA reported that its network continues to perform at a high level of reliability. The authority recorded an average of just 0.82 customer minutes lost for electricity annually, a measure of how briefly, on average, customers go without power over the course of a year.
DEWA also confirmed that its electricity transmission losses stand at 2%, matched by distribution losses also at 2%.
Scale of the network
With the latest additions, DEWA's infrastructure now includes 53 33kV substations in service, alongside 47,723 medium voltage substations rated at 11kV and 6.6kV, which together carry electricity from higher-voltage transmission points down to the level used by homes and businesses across Dubai.
Why DEWA is expanding now
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, linked the expansion directly to the pace of development across the emirate.
"We continue our growth path to keep pace with the continuous expansion of new residential areas, commercial centres, investment projects and business hubs in Dubai," Al Tayer said. "We aim to anticipate future growth requirements and consolidate the emirate's position as one of the leading cities globally in developing advanced infrastructure that ensures the highest levels of quality of life. We adopt the latest global technologies to maintain the highest levels of performance, driving sustainable economic and urban growth for decades to come and keeping DEWA at the forefront of utilities worldwide. DEWA recorded the world's lowest customer minutes lost for electricity, averaging just 0.82 minutes per customer annually, while DEWA's electricity transmission and distribution losses stand at 2% and remain the lowest globally."
What it means for Dubai residents and businesses
For residents and companies operating in Dubai, the substation rollout is largely invisible day to day, but it underpins the reliability of power supply to new residential communities, commercial centres and business hubs as they come online. The reported customer minutes lost and loss figures suggest the grid is absorbing this growth without a corresponding dip in service quality.
The figures were released as part of DEWA's H1 2026 reporting, with Rashid Bin Humaidan also named in connection with the update.
Reported by Government of Dubai Media Office