Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has said that 58.4% of work has been completed on its US$387mn pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant, and that the project is on track for completion in Q4 2024.
In a statement, DEWA said that the 250MW Hatta Hydroelectric Power Plant is the first of its kind in the Gulf region, and that it would have a storage capacity of 1,500MW-hours, with a lifespan of up to 80 years.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) visited the power plant site to check the work progress. During the visit, Al Tayer was accompanied by Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation; Mansoor Al Suwaidi, Vice President – Projects and Engineering (Generation); and Khalifa Al Badwawi, Project Manager, along with the project team.
Al Tayer inspected the construction site at the hydroelectric power plant, where he was briefed about the work progress. The visit also included the inspection of the power generator’s site and the upper dam, where the water intake in the Hatta Dam connected to the power generators has been completed.
In late December 2022, DEWA said it had begun construction of the $12.5m Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project.
Construction of the 72m main Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) wall of the upper dam has been completed. Al Tayer also inspected the work progress of the water tunnel, which is 1.2km long and connects the two dams. The concrete lining of the water tunnel is complete, DEWA noted.
Al Tayer highlighted the importance of the power plant as part of DEWA’s efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, which aims to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
The project supports a comprehensive plan to develop Hatta and meet its social, economic, developmental, and environmental needs, in addition to providing innovative job opportunities for citizens in Hatta.
Al Tayer explained that the hydroelectric power plant in Hatta is part of the projects and initiatives launched by DEWA to diversify energy production from renewable and clean sources in Dubai. These include different available technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels, concentrated solar power, and green hydrogen production using renewable energy.
In early January 2023, Digital DEWA launched its first AI-driven cyber security system.
The hydroelectric power plant will be an energy storage facility with a turnaround efficiency of 78.9% that utilises the water stored in the upper dam, which is converted to kinetic energy during the flow of water through the 1.2km subterranean tunnel.
This kinetic energy rotates the turbines and converts mechanical energy to electrical energy which is sent to DEWA’s grid within 90 seconds in response to demand. To store energy, clean energy generated at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be used to pump the water through this tunnel back to the upper dam by converting the electrical power to kinetic energy making the whole project 100% renewable.
Later in January 2023, DEWA said over two million smart metres had been installed across Dubai.