The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) has awarded AED203m ($55.2m) worth of contracts to several local companies to provide cables for expanding the emirate’s electrical distribution network.

The local companies will manufacture and supply aluminium and copper cables which will be used as part of Dewa’s efforts to expand and upgrade Dubai’s electricity network.

Dewa recently received bids for the contract to build a substation and overhead line at its Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park.

The state utility received bids from five groups in the first week of June. The work will involve the supply and installation of a 400kV substation and 400kV overhead line (OHL) at the solar development.

Germany’s Siemens was the only bidder to submit prices for both parts A and B of the tender, with their total price entered at AED131.5m. For section A, Switzerland’s ABB submitted two alternative prices of AED99.2m and AED94.7m, while the joint venture of France’s Alstom and SAS Dubai submitted a bid of AED177.6m.

The local Gulf Jyoti international submitted a price for part B of AED16.6m.

In March, Dewa appointed financial and legal advisers for the 100MW second phase of the solar park, which is being developed as an independent power project (IPP). The Netherland’s KPMG has been appointed as financial adviser and the UK’s London Norton Rose Fulbright as legal adviser for the planned solar project, which will utilise photovoltaic (PV) technology.