Dubai records highest power demand growth since 2012

Peak power demand in Dubai increased by 6 per cent in 2020, marking the highest increase since 2012

Peak power demand in Dubai increased by 6 per cent in 2020, marking the highest increase in demand since 2012.

Speaking at a virtual press conference on 27 October, Saeed Mohammed al-Tayer, CEO of state utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa), said that peak demand in the second quarter of 2020 reached 9,000MW, up from the 8,500MW peak in 2019.

Peak demand in 2012 reached 6.9 per cent following a sharp contraction in 2011. Peak demand for electricity in the emirate has fluctuated significantly over the past two decades as a result of the construction boom, where peak demand growth averaged 13 per cent a year between 2005 and 2008.

Al-Tayer put the demand growth in 2020 down to a combination of peak summer demand as temperatures rise and movement restrictions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.