New images show Hatta dam hydroelectric power station taking shape

The facility will combine solar energy and hydropower to be 100 per cent renewable

A hydroelectric power station project in Hatta is now 29 per cent complete. All photos: Dewa

The power station will use water from Hatta Dam, as well as an upper dam being built in the mountain, to generate clean energy for Dubai.

The power station will have a production capacity of 250 megawatts, a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours and a life span of up to 80 years.

Water stored in the upper dam will flow through a 1.2-kilometre underground tunnel.

Clean energy generated by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be used to pump the water back through the tunnel and return it to the upper dam.

The project will use 100 per cent renewable energy.

The service tunnelling operations are complete. Each tunnel is 500 metres long.

More than 95 per cent of the excavation operations for the 1.2km underground have been completed.

About 4.6 million working hours have been spent on the project so far.

Two other pioneering projects will also be built in Hatta: the Dubai Mountain Peak and Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls.

Construction of Hatta's new hydroelectric power station is about 30 per cent complete.

The hydroelectric power station will use water from both Hatta Dam and an upper dam that is being built in the mountain to create clean energy for Dubai.

Saeed Al Tayer, the chief executive of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), visited the station to review progress of the project, where the service tunnels and excavation site for the generators are already complete.

The hydroelectric power station has a proposed production capacity of 250 megawatts, storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours, and lifespan of up to 80 years.

Water stored in the upper upper dam will flow through a 1.2km underground tunnel, rotating turbines. The mechanical energy from the rotating turbines is then converted into electrical energy and sent to the Dewa power grid.

In order to reuse the water, clean energy generated by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is used to pump the water back through the tunnel and return it to the upper dam. This means the project is 100 per cent 'renewable'.

"The pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Hatta helps achieve the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to comprehensively expand sustainable development in Dubai," said Mr Al Tayer.

"We have a clear strategy and specific objectives to increase the use of clean and renewable energy in Dubai’s energy mix.

"This will achieve the 'Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050' [directive] to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050."

Dewa's efforts to diversify its energy mix include photovoltaic solar panels, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using renewable energy, and studies on wind power generation in Hatta.

The hydroelectric power plant is one of Dewa's projects to provide job opportunities for the people of Hatta and increase tourism in the area.

The construction of the power plant uses the latest and safest drilling techniques to preserve Hatta's geological features and the Hatta Natural Reserve, said Mr Al Tayer.

The service tunnelling operations are complete, with each tunnel measuring 500 metres.

More than 95 per cent of the excavation operations for the 1.2km subterranean water canal have been completed.

The 60-metre-deep excavation site for the area where the generators are due to be installed is also complete.

The project has so far passed 4.6 million safe working hours with no reported injuries.

Dewa is also implementing two other projects in Hatta. These are Dubai Mountain Peak and Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls. Both were announced last month by Sheikh Mohammed as part of six new projects included in the Hatta development plan.