By Desmond Nleya
Dubai has once again raised the global standard for power reliability, setting a new world record for the lowest electricity outage duration. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) reported just 49 seconds (0.82 minutes) of customer power interruption per year, surpassing its previous record of 0.94 minutes in 2024.
Customer Minutes Lost (CML), which measures the average time electricity supply is interrupted per customer annually, has steadily declined in Dubai over the past decade. DEWA reduced CML from 6.88 minutes in 2012 to 0.82 minutes in 2025, a figure far below the approximate 15-minute average recorded by leading European utilities.
This achievement is largely driven by DEWA’s Dh7 billion investment in its Smart Grid infrastructure. According to CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the system enhances energy transmission and distribution, reduces outages, minimizes losses, and improves load management.
A standout innovation is the Automatic Smart Grid Restoration System, the first of its kind in the region. It operates around the clock without human intervention, using centralized technology to detect faults, isolate affected areas, and restore power quickly, significantly improving reliability.
Artificial intelligence plays a central role in DEWA’s operations. By integrating advanced Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, the authority continues to improve service efficiency, availability, and performance.
In addition to power reliability, DEWA has also streamlined its services. Refund processing times have dropped from four days to just minutes, with the AI-powered system handling up to Dh4,000 in refunds and covering about 90 percent of requests.
This progress aligns with the UAE’s broader vision of digital transformation. The country recently announced plans for 50 percent of government services to be powered by AI agents, positioning it as a global leader in adopting advanced, automated public service systems.
