The pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant site in Hatta is 74% complete, says DEWA
The plant has a projected output capacity of 250 MW, 1,500 megawatt-hours of storage, and an anticipated lifespan of up to 80 years. With investments of up to US$400mn, this station is the first of its type in the GCC. The project is planned for completion in Q1 of 2025.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) visited the site to check the progress of ongoing work. During the tour, the installation of the power generators was inspected, and visitors could see how the generators were being put together as well as how the facilities for maintenance and operation were being built. Additionally, the tour included a look at the higher dam, where the water upper intake structure and the related bridge have been finished.
The upper dam's main 72-metre Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) wall is now complete, and by year's end, preparations will be made to start filling the top dam. Al Tayer also assessed the progress being made in the 1.2 km long water tunnel, which is now being connected to the power generators.
With a turnaround efficiency of 78.9%, the plant is an energy storage that uses 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 underground tunnel. This kinetic energy rotates the turbine, which then transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy that is sent to the DEWA grid. The water is then pumped through this tunnel and back to the upper dam using clean energy that was first converted to kinetic energy and then finally stored as potential energy in the upper dam, which is 150 metres above Hatta Dam, in order to store energy once more. As a result, the entire project is entirely renewable.
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 in Hatta. 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 to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. DEWA has launched different projects and initiatives to diversify energy production from renewable and clean sources including solar photovoltaic panels, concentrated solar power, and green hydrogen production using renewable energy.
