Hatta hydroelectric plant begins power export trial to Dubai grid

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced the start of trial operations of electricity export from the pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Hatta to Dubai.

The plant will have a production capacity of 250 megawatts (MW), a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours, and a lifespan of up to 80 years. The peak electricity demand in Hatta is approximately 39 MW, and the surplus will be exported to Dubai.

The project is designed to generate electricity using water stored in the Hatta Dam and the upper dam with a turnaround efficiency of 78.9 per cent. It uses the potential energy of water stored in the upper dam, converting it into kinetic energy as it flows through a 1.2-kilometre subterranean tunnel.

This kinetic energy rotates the turbines, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, which can be supplied to DEWA’s grid within 90 seconds to meet demand.

To store energy, clean power generated at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be used to pump water back to the upper dam, converting electrical power into kinetic energy in the process.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of  DEWA visited the plant and was accompanied by Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation (Power & Water) at DEWA; Khalifa Al Bedwawi, Project Manager; and the project team.

Al Tayer affirmed that the project is in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development across the Emirate of Dubai.

It also supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, which aim to provide 100 per cent of Dubai's total energy production capacity from clean sources by 2050.

During the visit, Al Tayer toured the power generation station building, which was constructed 60 metres underground, and was briefed on the operation of the station's two main water valves, each weighing approximately 110 tonnes. He also inspected the station's command and control centre and witnessed an operational test of the water pumping and power generation.

The visit included the upper dam, built by DEWA as part of the project, with a total water surface area of 210,000 square metres. The dam comprises two compressed concrete walls: a main wall 72 metres high and 225 metres long, and a side wall 37 metres high. The upper dam has a storage capacity of around 5.3 million cubic metres (1,166 million gallons) of water.

Al Tayer highlighted that the hydroelectric power plant in Hatta, with an investment of approximately AED1.42 billion, is part of DEWA’s efforts to diversify energy production from renewable and clean sources in Dubai. These include technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels, concentrated solar power, and energy storage in batteries.