Hatta hydroelectric power plant almost three quarters complete

Hatta hydroelectric power plant power plant is nearly three quarters completed, authorities said on Tuesday.

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

It was due to be completed in late 2024 but will now be ready to use around the start of 2025.

Said to be the first of its kind in the GCC, the facility was built with an investment of Dh1.42 billion ($387 million).

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, toured the plant to review progress and hear a briefing about how the work was progressing.

“The Hatta pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant supports the comprehensive plan to develop Hatta and meet its social, economic, developmental, and environmental needs, in addition to providing job opportunities for Emirati citizens in Hatta,” Dubai Media Office reported Mr Al Tayer as saying.

“The project is part of Dewa’s efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 per cent of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.”

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The visit included an inspection of the installation, as well as an examination of the upper dam – where the 72m main wall of the upper dam structure and bridge have been completed.

Preliminary measures to fill the dam will take place by the end of the year, said officials.

Mr Al Tayer also inspected how the 1.2km water tunnel was progressing, which is being linked to the power generators.

Energy will be stored in an upper dam, about 150m from Hatta's main dam, and will be 100 per cent renewable.

The stored energy will then be sent to help power the Dewa grid.

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Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

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Based: Dubai and Muscat

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Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

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A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.

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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

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“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”