CML 49 secs: What DEWA’s Record Really Means!

Maham Malik, Business Development & Strategy Manager, Esyasoft Linkedin

DEWA has set a new global benchmark in power grid reliability. With a Customer Minutes Lost (CML) figure of just 0.82 equivalent to 49 seconds of interruption per customer per year, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has achieved what no utility of its scale has done before.

To appreciate the magnitude of this record, consider the infrastructure behind it. DEWA serves over 1.2 million customers across a service territory of 3,885 km², spanning dense urban centres, commercial districts, industrial zones, and desert terrain. Its grid is supported by more than 45,317 substations. This is not a compact or simplified network, it is one of the most complex and rapidly growing power systems in the region.

For context, the average European utility reports approximately 15 minutes of CML per year. DEWA’s figure is more than 18 times better than that average, and it achieves this without excluding major event days from its reporting.

This level of performance is the result of decades of sustained investment in grid modernization, heightened operational efficiency, and a clear, forward-looking strategic vision. At the heart of DEWA’s achievement is deep automation, most notably its Automatic Smart Grid Restoration System, which detects faults, isolates affected sections, and restores supply in real time, without human intervention. This is engineered resilience at the highest level.

Behind that automation sits a fully integrated ecosystem of technologies: advanced SCADA and distribution management systems, predictive analytics, real-time monitoring, and smart metering infrastructure that provides granular visibility across the network. Each of these components plays a role, but it is the way DEWA has integrated them into a cohesive, responsive system that truly sets it apart.

The achievement also reflects something deeper about Dubai’s approach to infrastructure. Reliability at this level is not an accident of geography or a product of simplicity. It is the outcome of deliberate policy, long-term planning, and an unwavering commitment to operational excellence, principles that align with the UAE’s broader vision for world-class public services.

At this level, the next frontier is no longer about reducing outage duration. It is about preventing outages altogether and DEWA’s record suggests they are already well on that path.

This is a milestone that deserves recognition from across the global energy sector. It raises the bar for every utility in the world.