Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said work was moving at a steady pace on its 250MW pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Hatta with the project nearly 30 per cent completed.

 

On completion, it will have a production capacity of 250 megawatts (MW), a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours, and a life span of up to 80 years, said a statement from Dewa.

 

The hydroelectric power plant is energy storage with a turnaround efficiency of 78.95% that utilises the potential energy of the water stored in the upper dam which is converted to kinetic energy during the flow of water through the 1.2-km subterranean tunnel, and this kinetic energy rotates the turbines and converts mechanical energy to electrical energy which is sent to Dewa grid within 90 seconds in response to demand.

 

This is the first station of its kind in the GCC with investments of up to AED1.42 billion ($386 million), remarked Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa).

 

He was speaking after an inspection visit to the power station accompanied by Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at Dewa; Khalifa Albedwawi, the project manager, and the project’s team.

 

Al Tayer was later briefed on the project’s progress. "The first 37-m-high roller compacted concrete (RCC) wall is now complete at the project’s upper dam. The station will use water in the Hatta Dam and an upper dam that is being built in the mountain," he stated.

 

According to him, the power plant will supports Dewa’s efforts to diversify its energy mix. 

 

This diversification includes photovoltaic solar panels, concentrated solar power (CSP), green hydrogen production using renewable energy, and studies on wind power generation in Hatta, he noted.

 

The hydroelectric power plant is one of Dewa’s projects to provide innovative job opportunities for the people of Hatta, and the area’s development to meet its social, economic, and environmental needs.

 

"The service tunnelling operations are complete. Each tunnel is 500 metres long. More than 95 percent of the excavation operations of the 1.2-kilometre subterranean water canal have been completed," he explained.

 

Al Tayer said the 60-m-deep excavation for the area where the generators will be installed is now complete. 

 

"The work to pour concrete has begun, and pouring of the roller compacted concrete for the first part of the 37-m-high upper dam wall is now complete. The project has completed 4.6 million safe working hours so far without any injuries," he stated.

 

According to him, Dewa is also implementing two other pioneering projects in Hatta; namely, Dubai Mountain Peak and Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls. 

 

These projects will promote Hatta’s position as one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Dubai, he added.-TradeArabia News Service