Guide · Abu Dhabi & Al Ain

TAQA Distribution Approvals — a Plain Guide

What TAQA Distribution (formerly ADDC/AADC) actually is, how new-connection and load-increase approvals generally work in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and how that fits alongside the electrical work we carry out.

Get a Free Quote Call +971 55 651 7843

Plain-language guide ADDC/AADC → TAQA explained Honest scope disclosure Abu Dhabi & Al Ain

In short: TAQA approval is the authorisation TAQA Distribution (formerly ADDC in Abu Dhabi and AADC in Al Ain) issues before a new electricity connection or a significant load increase, such as three-phase supply or a large EV-charging installation. A registered contractor or consultant usually applies with load calculations and drawings; TAQA Distribution sets the steps, fees and timelines. Emirtech is not registered with TAQA Distribution and does not submit these applications: its electrical scope starts at the point of supply, downstream of the meter.

TAQA Distribution Approvals — a Plain Guide: key facts

Published by	Published by Emirtech Technology, an independent integrator in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi, in operation since 2018.
Where?	Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, served from Emirtech's Mussafah, Abu Dhabi base; there is no Al Ain office. In Dubai: smart home, PABX and IP-PBX phone systems, IT AMC and time attendance by scheduled on-site visits, gate barriers, ANPR, video intercoms and turnstiles by Emirtech itself; CCTV, alarm and access control through SIRA-approved partners, with Emirtech coordinating.
Survey and quotation	Emirtech publishes no price list: it surveys or assesses first and then gives a written, itemised quotation.
Credentials	Emirtech is an independent systems integrator. It holds no manufacturer-level credential of its own, and its ADMCC approval covers security systems only, not IT services.
Last reviewed	21 October 2026

What is TAQA Distribution, and how do its approvals work?

TAQA Distribution is the current name for the entity formed from the merger of the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) and Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC) — the electricity and water distribution companies for Abu Dhabi city and Al Ain respectively. Older references to "ADDC" or "AADC" on older documents, forms or web content refer to the same underlying distribution network, now operating under the TAQA Distribution name. If you're researching a connection, a load increase, or a meter question, you're dealing with the same organisation whichever name you encounter.

Anyone connecting a new property to the electricity network, or significantly increasing the load on an existing connection (adding three-phase supply, a large EV-charging installation, major new equipment), needs an approval from TAQA Distribution. In general terms, this involves an application — typically submitted by a registered contractor or consultant — with load calculations and supporting drawings, a review and possible inspection by TAQA Distribution, and an authorisation issued before the meter is installed or upgraded. The exact steps, forms, fees and timelines are set by TAQA Distribution itself, not by us; check directly with TAQA Distribution or your appointed registered contractor for current requirements, since these processes can change.

To be explicit about our own role: Emirtech is not approved or registered with TAQA Distribution, ADDC or AADC, and we do not submit connection or load-increase applications on a customer's behalf. Our electrical scope — wiring, distribution boards, lighting, testing, carried out and certified by the certificate holder named in the quotation — begins at the point of supply, downstream of the meter. Where a project needs a TAQA Distribution connection or load-increase approval, that sits with a separately appointed, appropriately registered party; we coordinate our own scope and timing around that process. For electrical work downstream of the point of supply in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, call +971 55 651 7843 or email [email protected].

Illustrative diagram, not to scale. Exact network configuration varies by property.

Scope — what we deliver and explicitly do not

This guide is informational. We set out our own role plainly rather than implying an authorisation we do not hold.

We deliver: coordination of the electrical scope downstream of the point of supply (installation, wiring, distribution boards, lighting and testing, carried out and certified by the certificate holder named in the quotation), and general guidance on how the approval process fits alongside that work.
We do not deliver: TAQA Distribution connection or load-increase applications, load-calculation submissions to TAQA Distribution, metering, or any work upstream of the point of supply.
We are not: approved or registered with TAQA Distribution, ADDC or AADC. We are not a chartered engineering consultancy, and our ADMCC approval covers security systems work only — it is not an electrical utility authorisation.
We are not affiliated with: TAQA Distribution, ADDC, AADC, the Department of Energy Abu Dhabi, ADCD, or any main contractor or consultancy.
Geographic coverage is Abu Dhabi and Al Ain — electrical installation in Dubai is carried out by DEWA-enrolled contractors and Emirtech is not DEWA-licensed, so we do not take electrical work in Dubai, Sharjah or the Northern Emirates. In Dubai Emirtech takes only IT AMC and time attendance, by scheduled visits. Dubai CCTV and alarm projects are SIRA-regulated and are delivered through SIRA-approved partners, with Emirtech coordinating; we also coordinate with your appointed contractor on the technology side.

Common questions

FAQs

What is TAQA Distribution, and is it the same as ADDC or AADC?

TAQA Distribution is the current name for the entity formed from the merger of the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) and Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC) — the electricity and water distribution companies for Abu Dhabi city and Al Ain respectively. Older references to ADDC or AADC refer to the same underlying distribution network, now operating under the TAQA Distribution name.

Who needs a new-connection or load-increase approval?

Anyone connecting a new property to the electricity network, or increasing the load on an existing connection significantly (for example, adding three-phase supply, a large EV charging installation, or major equipment), needs approval from TAQA Distribution. This sits with the property owner or their appointed licensed contractor, not with a low-current/electrical-works contractor working downstream of the meter.

Is Emirtech an approved TAQA Distribution contractor?

No. Emirtech is not approved or registered with TAQA Distribution, ADDC or AADC, and does not submit connection or load-increase applications on a customer's behalf. Our electrical work begins at the point of supply, downstream of the meter; the connection and approval process itself sits with TAQA Distribution and a registered contractor licensed for that specific scope.

What does the approval process generally involve?

In general terms: an application is submitted (typically by a registered contractor or consultant) with load calculations and supporting drawings, TAQA Distribution reviews and may inspect, and on approval issues the connection or load-increase authorisation before the meter is installed or upgraded. Exact steps, forms and timelines are set by TAQA Distribution itself, not by us — check directly with them or your appointed registered contractor for current requirements. For the wiring rules behind it, see the Abu Dhabi Electricity Wiring Regulations 2020 guide.

Can Emirtech help with the internal wiring while someone else handles the TAQA approval?

Yes — this is exactly how the work typically splits. We coordinate the electrical scope from the point of supply downstream (boards, wiring, circuits), which Abu Dhabi reserves to holders of a distribution-company Competency Certificate (the quotation names who carries out and certifies it), while a separately appointed, appropriately registered party handles the TAQA Distribution connection or load-increase application. We coordinate our scope and timing around that process.

Does this guide cover Dubai or other emirates?

No — this guide covers Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, where TAQA Distribution (formerly ADDC/AADC) is the relevant distribution company. Dubai and the Northern Emirates have different distribution utilities and approval processes. Electrical installation in Dubai is carried out by DEWA-enrolled contractors and Emirtech is not DEWA-licensed, so we do not take electrical work there, but we coordinate with your appointed contractor on the technology side of a Dubai project.