France's EDF in talks to build hydropower plant in RAK

Project will be capable of storing energy for up to 12 hours, EDF's regional head says

EDF is also interested in participating in any future nuclear power plant projects in the UAE. Bloomberg

France’s EDF is in talks with the Ras Al Khaimah Municipality to set up a five-gigawatt pumped storage hydropower plant in the emirate, which would be the “biggest in the world”, a senior executive said.

The project, which will be capable of storing energy for up to 12 hours, is a “country-level" initiative aimed at balancing electricity supply in the UAE, where clean energy is playing an increasingly significant role in the energy mix, Luc Koechlin, chief executive of EDF Middle East, told The National on the sidelines of the RAK Energy Summit on Thursday.

“Most of the solar farm development is happening in Abu Dhabi and Dubai but for the storage and especially pumped storage, you need mountains,” Mr Koechlin said.

Connecting the power grids will help to effectively manage the energy generated from solar, nuclear and large-scale storage systems, he added.

A pumped storage plant harnesses the power of water to generate electricity. It has two reservoirs, one higher than the other. When there is excess electricity, often from solar or wind power, it is used to pump water up to the higher reservoir. This stored water becomes a reserve of energy.

Currently, the Fengning pumped storage power station in China’s Hebei province is the world’s largest, with a capacity of 3.6 gigawatts.

In 2017, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) awarded a Dh58 million ($15.79 million) consultancy contract for a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station at Hatta Dam to EDF.

The power station will have a production capacity of 250 megawatts, a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt hours and a lifespan of up to 80 years. It was due to be completed late this year but will now be ready for use around the start of 2025.

Meanwhile, EDF Renewables was also part of a Masdar-led consortium that developed the third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. The company holds a 20 per cent stake in Abu Dhabi's two-gigawatt Al Dhafra solar project, which was launched last year.

EDF is also interested in participating in any future nuclear power plant projects in the UAE, Mr Koechlin said. It participated in the tender for the Barakah nuclear plant in Abu Dhabi but the contract was ultimately awarded to South Korean utility Kepco. Barakah generates 40 terawatt-hours of electricity a year, providing up to 25 per cent of the UAE's electricity.

In terms of nuclear power, EDF is currently developing its own design for small modular reactors (SMRs), floated as a potential solution for energy generation in the Gulf region, particularly for applications such as desalination.

SMRs are more compact and can be built in factories, making them, in theory, more flexible and adaptable to different locations. However, existing SMR projects have been hamstrung construction delays and cost overruns.

“It's still a long way [off] because the challenge for SMR is to make it affordable and easily duplicable,” Mr Koechlin said. Unlike large reactors, where only a few people have the expertise, SMRs can be developed by a wider range of companies, which will allow for faster advancement, he added.

The SMR project pipeline reached 22 gigawatts in the first quarter of the year, an expansion of 65 per cent since 2021, according to Wood Mackenzie.

About 58 per cent of all planned or proposed SMR projects globally are being driven by five countries – the US, Poland, Canada, the UK and South Korea – the consultancy said in a report this year.