Hatta hydroelectric power plant progress crosses halfway mark

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority reveals project more than 52 per cent complete

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) announced in December that the Hatta hydroelectric plant project is more than 58 per cent complete. All photos: Dewa

Hatta's hydroelectric power station at 58.48 per cent completion.

The facility will have a production capacity of 250 megawatts and storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours.

The station will have a lifespan of up to 80 years.

The hydroelectric power station being built by Dewa in Hatta is the first station of its kind in the GCC.

The facility was visited by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority chief executive Saeed Al Tayer.

Investment in the project is about Dh1.421 billion.

Mr Al Tayer inspected the construction of the power generators and the upper dam during his visit in June.

Mr Al Tayer also reviewed the work progress of the 1.2 kilometre subterranean tunnel which connects the two dams in June.

Construction of Hatta's hydroelectric power plant has crossed the halfway mark as authorities announced on Tuesday that the project was 52.6 per cent finished.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said the 72-metre main Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) wall of the upper dam was complete, as well as the 37-metre-high RCC side wall at the project’s upper dam.

The station in Dubai will have a production capacity of 250 megawatts once finished and a storage capacity of up to 1,500 megawatt hours, plus a lifespan of up to 80 years.

The plant will be the first in the GCC region with investment in the project reaching Dh1.421 billion ($387m).

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

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

The power plant's response time to heightened demand for energy will be fewer than 90 seconds.

Plans are in the works for Hatta to become a bucket-list destination and projects include a 5.4km cable car route — Dubai Mountain Peak — at an altitude of 1,300m (the summit of Jebel Umm Al Nisour), and Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls.

Up to 500 jobs have been created as a result of the projects.