Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), announced that the pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant site DEWA is building in Hatta, 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 per cent complete.
This came during his visit to the plant site in Hatta to check the progress of ongoing work. This is the first station in the GCC region, with investments of up to AED1.421 billion. The project is planned for completion in Q1 of 2025.
The pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Hatta is part of DEWA’s efforts to achieve the vision and directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. It supports the comprehensive development plan for Hatta, launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to meet the social, developmental, economic, and environmental needs and provide innovative job opportunities for Emiratis in Hatta.
Al Tayer toured the construction site at the hydroelectric power plant, where he was briefed about the work progress. The visit included inspecting the power generators’ installation, witnessing the assembly of generators and the ongoing construction of service and operational facilities.
Furthermore, the visit encompassed an examination of the upper dam, where the water upper intake structure and the associated bridge have been successfully completed. Construction of the 72-metre main Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) wall of the upper dam has been completed, and preliminary measures are to commence filling the upper dam by the end of the year.
Additionally, Al Tayer evaluated the ongoing advancements in the 1.2-kilometre-long water tunnel, presently being linked to the power generators.
The Hydroelectric power plant is an energy storage with a turnaround efficiency of 78.9 per cent 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-kilometre subterranean tunnel. This kinetic energy rotates the turbine and converts mechanical energy to electrical energy sent to the DEWA grid.
Then, to store energy again, 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 potential energy in the upper dam which is 150meters above Hatta Dam. This makes the whole project 100 per cent renewable.
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