European construction services provider Strabag has been selected by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) for the construction of the Hatta pumped storage power plant in Dubai.
The total contract value of the contract amounts of €340m ($373m) and the construction consortium includes Strabag, Austrian company Andritz and Turkish construction company ÖZKAR İNŞAAT. Strabag is the consortium leader with a 35% stake or €118m ($129m).
To be located in the Hajar Mountains, 140 km southeast of the city of Dubai, the pumped storage power plant will have a power output of 250MW. Strabag will build a 36m diameter and 70m long turbine shaft, which will house two Francis turbines.
Andritz will supply the electromechanical equipment including two 125MW Francis-type pump turbines with double-fed asynchronous generators and auxiliary systems, all gates and trashracks, 320 m of penstocks, main inlet valves, main power transformers, GIS switchyard, and high-voltage cables to connect the new power plant to the national grid.
The company stated that it will conduct a detailed model test that can guarantee the characteristics of the turbine at its test laboratories.
The Hatta pumped storage power plant is expected to be the first of its kind on the Arabian Peninsula. The concept is based on a shaft-type powerhouse close to the existing hydro reservoir, which can generate 250MW in six hours of time.
Dubai plans to increase its share of renewables from the present 7% to 75% by 2050
Dubai has a goal of diversifying the energy mix of Emirates and to increase the share of renewable energy from the current level of 7% to 75% by 2050.
To achieve the target, DEWA has decided not only to increase the share of power generation from renewable sources such as solar and wind power, but also to build hydro-pumped storage capacity, needed to balance the volatility of renewable energy sources.
