Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has awarded the AED 58mn ($15.8mn) consultancy contract for the hydroelectric power station at Hatta Dam to Frances EDF.
The AED 1.92bn project is the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf, with a total capacity of 250 MW, and is expected to last between 60 to 80 years.
EDF’s contract covers design, hydro-geological, geological, environmental, geotechnical, and deep excavation studies. It also includes consultancy on deep-water tunnel designs, the dam and hydroelectric power station, the tender for material supply, supervision of construction work, site installation, on-site testing and commissioning.
The plant will use water stored in the Hatta Dam, which holds up to 1,716 million gallons (7.8 million cubic metres), and an upper reservoir to be built in the mountain that can store up to 880 million gallons.
The upper reservoir will be 300 metres above the dam level. During off-peak hours, turbines that use solar energy will pump water from the lower dam to the upper reservoir.
During peak-load hours, when production costs are high, turbines operated by the speed of waterfall from the upper reservoir will be used to generate electricity and connect it to DEWAs grid.
The efficiency of power production will reach 90% with a 90-second response to demand for electricity.