DEWA sets world record with 0.82-minute average electricity outage in 2025
DEWA sets world record in 2025 with average electricity outage of 0.82 minutes per customer; AI-led Industry 4.0 upgrades deliver a 13% improvement on 2024.
Dubai’s electricity and water utility, DEWA, announced a new global benchmark after recording an average electricity outage duration of 0.82 minutes per customer per year in 2025, equivalent to roughly 49 seconds. The Managing Director and CEO, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, said the result represents a roughly 13% improvement over the authority’s 2024 figure of 0.94 minutes, and DEWA stated the achievement breaks its own previous world record. The authority attributed the gain to strengthened infrastructure, operational changes and the increased adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies.
Record-breaking performance confirmed
DEWA framed the 0.82-minute metric as the lowest average annual interruption time recorded globally for a utility of its scale, citing internal performance monitoring and external comparisons. The authority said the result covers the full customer base and reflects system-wide reliability across generation, transmission and distribution networks. Officials noted that the measurement methodology aligns with international best practice for calculating average interruption duration per customer per year.
Comparison with 2024 benchmark
DEWA’s 2025 outcome improves on the 2024 average of 0.94 minutes per customer, a reduction DEWA quantified as an approximately 13 percent year‑on‑year gain. That prior figure had itself been presented as a world-leading result, meaning the authority has now surpassed its own global record. DEWA emphasized the incremental nature of the improvement, describing it as the result of sustained investments rather than a one-off change.
Technology and AI driving reliability
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said DEWA integrates artificial intelligence and other Industry 4.0 tools into the authority’s strategic and operational frameworks to boost reliability and response times. DEWA described applications such as predictive maintenance, automated fault detection and data-driven grid management as central to reducing outage durations. Executives highlighted that AI-enabled decision support allows faster isolation of faults and more efficient dispatch of repair crews, shortening customer interruption windows.
Infrastructure upgrades and operational measures
DEWA pointed to ongoing upgrades across its electricity network, including reinforcement of distribution lines, substation modernization and deployment of smart grid elements, as contributors to the improved metric. The authority also cited enhanced monitoring systems and operational protocols that streamline fault response and restoration processes. Officials stressed that combining asset investment with procedural improvements was key to sustaining low interruption times as demand grows.
Customer impact and service continuity
For customers, the reduction to an average of roughly 49 seconds per year translates into materially higher perceived reliability, particularly for businesses and critical facilities with low tolerance for power disruptions. DEWA said its service-level improvements support Dubai’s economic competitiveness and the continuity needs of sectors such as finance, healthcare and high-tech manufacturing. The authority reaffirmed commitments to rapid notification and support services for customers affected by any outage.
International standing and future targets
By setting a new global low for average outage duration, DEWA positions itself as a reference point for utilities pursuing high reliability through digitalisation and grid resilience measures. The authority framed the record as part of a multi-year trajectory of performance improvement and signalled further targets related to system robustness and customer experience. DEWA indicated it will continue measuring and publishing performance to benchmark progress against international peers.
DEWA said the 2025 result underscores its strategy of pairing technology adoption with targeted infrastructure investment to deliver world-class electricity services, and officials signalled that continued innovation will be central to sustaining and improving reliability for Dubai’s residents and businesses.