Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) in the UAE has said that around Dh4.2bn ($1.14bn) worth of electricity transmission network projects are under construction.

The projects are part of efforts to improve the emirate’s reliability and availability of the power transmission infrastructure.

In the first half of this year, DEWA commissioned seven new 132 transmission substations in Al Jaddaf, Al Hebiah Fourth, Al Yufrah, Al Rigga, Jebel Ali 2, Jebel Ali Port, and Marsa Dubai.

A total of 6.8 million working hours were required to finish the substations. They involved installing 36km of 132kV ground cables, which intended to improve the quality of the energy transmission network.

According to DEWA MD and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, these new 1,342kV substations have a conversion capacity of 1,050 megavolt-amperes (MVA).

The substations were built using modern global technologies and cost more than Dh962m ($262m).

Al Tayer said: “We keep pace with the growing development path and the increase in demand in Dubai to enhance the Emirate’s position as a preferred destination to live, work, and visit.”

DEWA’s use of technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, smart innovations, and practices have played a pivotal role in attaining a 100% reliability and availability rate for Dubai’s energy transmission system.

DEWA Transmission Power executive vice-president Hussain Lootah said: “The total number of transmission substations across Dubai reached 368 stations by the end of the first half of 2023. These include 27 400kV substations and 341 132kV substations, in addition to 25 132kV substations under construction.”