DEWA hydroelectric project in Hatta is 74% complete
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that the Hatta power plant, with a planned production capacity of 250 megawatts (MW), a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours, and a life span of up to 80 years, is 74% complete
Last week, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that the Hatta power plant, with a planned production capacity of 250 megawatts (MW), a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours, and a life span of up to 80 years, is 74% complete.
The project is planned for completion in Q1 of 2025. According to the DEWA statement, it is the first station of its kind in the GCC region, with investment of up to AED 1.421 billion.
The plant
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, toured the construction site at the hydroelectric power plant, where he was briefed about the work progress. The visit included the inspection of the power generators installation and the ongoing construction of service and operational facilities.
The visit also included an examination of the upper dam, where the water upper intake structure and the associated bridgehave been successfully completed. Construction of the 72-metre main Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) wall of the upper dam has been completed, with preliminary measures to commence filling the upper dam by end of the year.
Al Tayer also evaluated the ongoing advancement in the 1.2-kilometer-long water tunnel, presently in the process of being linked to the power generators.
The process
The hydroelectric power plant has a turnaround efficiency of 78.9% that will utilize 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 kilometer subterranean tunnel and this kinetic energy rotates the turbine and converts mechanical energy to electrical energy which is sent to DEWA grid.
Then, clean energy generated at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is used to pump the water through this tunnel back to the upper dam by converting the electrical energy to kinetic energy and then finally storing it as a potential energy in the upper dam which is 150 meters above the Hatta Dam. This makes the whole project 100% renewable.
More than energy
HE Al Tayer said that the Hatta pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant supports the comprehensive plan to develop Hatta and meet its social, economic, developmental, and environmental needs, in addition to providing job opportunities for Emirati citizens.
The project is part of DEWA’s efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050. The goal is to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
Energy & Utilities had earlier reported on the hydroelectric plant at Hatta when it reached 29 percent completion.
A previous report by Energy & Utilities showed that microfiltration units at the Hatta dam were being constructed to refine and sterilise the water, which will be used in case of failures in the water transmission and distribution networks.
David Haziri contributed reporting
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