Dubai Municipality invites bids for $8.2bn strategic sewerage tunnels project

Dubai Municipality has formally invited bids for the Phase II Links Package of the Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels (DSST) project, advancing one of the emirate’s largest public private partnership infrastructure programmes. Issued to prequalified developers and consortiums, the request for proposals marks a critical step in expanding Dubai’s long-term wastewater capacity under a structured PPP delivery model.

Phase II will cover the full asset lifecycle, including financing, design, engineering, procurement, construction, ownership, operation, maintenance, and eventual handback. The phase carries an estimated capital cost of approximately AED 30 billion, with a projected total lifecycle value of around AED 80 billion.

The Phase II Links Package includes construction of approximately 75 kilometres of deep wastewater tunnels, comprising the 50 km Bur Dubai Deep Tunnel and the 25 km Deira Deep Tunnel. These will be supported by around 140 km of link sewers and two major terminal pumping stations. Sections of the tunnel network will extend to depths of up to 90 metres below ground, requiring complex underground construction techniques and advanced groundwater control measures.

The DSST project is designed to transition Dubai’s sewerage system from a predominantly pumped network to a gravity-based system. This shift will allow the phased decommissioning of legacy pump stations, reducing energy consumption while improving operational reliability and resilience. Bid submissions for the Phase II Links Package are due by 30 April 2026.