Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has introduced a standardized and digitally optimized design for its 132kV power transmission substations, marking a significant step towards improving the efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of Dubai’s electricity network.
The new design has been developed to simplify the planning, engineering, and construction of power transmission substations by standardizing technical and engineering requirements. The approach is expected to support Dubai’s rapidly increasing energy demand while making the development of critical power infrastructure faster and more cost-effective.
According to DEWA, the digital design can reduce the delivery timeline for substations by more than two months. It also lowers construction costs by approximately AED 5 million per station. The design achieves these savings by simplifying infrastructure and reducing the number of components required for each substation.
The redesigned substations eliminate around 8,000 electronic components and approximately 140 kilometres of copper wiring per station. The optimization also reduces the building footprint by about 220 square metres. In addition, each site can save approximately 12,720 gallons of water annually, mainly through improvements related to auxiliary and cooling systems.
The digital design also provides environmental benefits by improving the operational efficiency of substations. Each substation is expected to reduce annual energy consumption by around 182 MWh. This translates into a reduction of nearly 447 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per station every year.
The initiative has received international recognition, securing a top 6-star rating at the International Best Practice Competition. The recognition highlights the project’s contribution to improving infrastructure efficiency and adopting innovative approaches to power system development.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, said the standardized digital design represents an important element of Dubai’s smart energy transition. He noted that the approach can create opportunities for wider integration of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, including artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, into the electricity grid.
The digital approach has already been applied to 90 power transmission substations across Dubai. Of these, 23 substations were commissioned during the first half of 2026.
The initiative supports Dubai’s wider objective of developing a smart, sustainable, and future-ready urban environment. By combining standardization, digital technologies, resource efficiency, and advanced grid infrastructure, DEWA aims to strengthen the reliability of electricity services while preparing the emirate’s power network for future energy requirements.
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