Dewa’s transmission investments hit Dh8.8b

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said on Sunday that the total value of its investments in electricity transmission reached Dh8.8 billion following the launch of six substations in the first four month of 2021.

The six new transmission substations had a combined investment of Dh1.1 billion from the beginning of 2021 to 30 April 2021. The Dh8.8 billion investment includes Dh2 billion for key 400 kV transmission projects and Dh 6.8 billion for 132 kV projects, the utility said in a statement.

“We work in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide a state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure for electricity and water to meet growing demand and keep pace with the need for sustainable development in Dubai,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director & CEO of Dewa.

He said the new substations are part of Dewa’s efforts to increase the capacity, efficiency, and readiness of transmission networks across Dubai. “This will meet the future needs of customers, developers, and the business sector. It will also provide a convenient margin by using the latest tools and the best smart and digital technologies to anticipate the future,” said Al Tayer.

The new substations include a 400 kilovolt (kV) substation at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park with a conversion capacity of 2,020 megavolt-amperes (MVA) and five 132 kV substations across several areas in Dubai with a conversion capacity of 750 MVA. These stations supply the neighbourhoods of Al Satwa; Palm Deira; Jebel Ali Industrial Zone; and Umm Al Daman.

Hussain Lootah, executive vice president of Transmission Power, said the construction of the substations was undertaken as planned despite the Covid-19 pandemic. There are now 24 400kV substations in Dubai as of 30 April 2021, with another three under construction. There are now 312 132kV substations and another 39 under construction.

Dewa said its ongoing efforts to digitally transform all its operations and services are aimed at providing electricity and water services in line with the highest standards of availability, reliability, and efficiency. “Completing the new stations required some 10.6 million safe working hours despite the pandemic during the final stages of implementation. The substations were constructed with state-of-the-art technologies used globally in constructing substations to ensure the highest safety and security standards. This protects the health of Dewa staff as well as society.”

The utility, which maintained its first global place for the third consecutive year in the World Bank's Doing Business 2020 report, said all commercial and industrial customers can now get electricity connection of up to 150kW within five days and in one step through Al Namoos, with security deposits and new connection charges waived. — issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com