Dubai’s DEWA awards Dhs1.4bn contract for Hatta hydroelectric power station

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has awarded a construction contract worth Dhs1.437bn for the pumped-storage hydroelectric power station at Hatta, it announced on Saturday.

The contract was awarded to a consortium consisting of Strabag Dubai, Strabag AG, Andritz Hydro and Ozkar, a statement said.

The hydroelectric project is the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf and will generate 250MW of power.

It is expected to last up to 80 years and is scheduled to be commissioned by February 2024.

EDF has been appointed the consultant for this project.

The power station will diversify the energy mix, and support the economic, social and environmental development of Hatta, the statement said.

“Our use of hydroelectricity is part of our drive to achieve the objectives of the Dubai clean energy strategy 2050, to transform the emirate into a global hub for clean energy and green economy, and to increase the share of clean energy mix in Dubai to 75 per cent by 2050,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

“Hydroelectricity is the generation of power by harnessing energy from moving water, which is one of the main sources of renewable clean energy in the world.”

The hydroelectric power station will use the water in the Hatta Dam, stored in an upper reservoir that will be built in the mountain.

Turbines that use ‘cheap’ solar power from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park will be used to pump water from the dam to the upper reservoir, the statement explained.

The waterfall from the upper reservoir will generate electricity using turbines when required. The efficiency of the power generation and storage cycle will reach 80 per cent within 90 seconds of the response to demand for electricity.

The project was launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai in November 2016 as part of the Dhs1.3bn 10-year Hatta comprehensive development plan, which aims to turn Hatta into a major tourist destination.

The plan includes creating winter sports facilities, hiking trails, a cultural festival, hundreds of homes for Emiratis and scholarships for young people.

Read: Sheikh Mohammed reviews new projects in Hatta