The 250MW Hatta pumped storage hydropower plant is being developed near Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The total investment in the project is estimated to be roughly AED1.42bn ($386.52m).

Scheduled for commissioning in early 2024, it will be the first hydropower plant of its kind in the Arabian Peninsula.

The pumped storage facility will contribute to the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to increase the share of renewables in the city’s total power generation capacity to 75% by 2050.

The project will use the existing Hatta dam as the lower reservoir, while the upper reservoir will be created by constructing two rollercompacted concrete (RCC) dams, measuring 35m and 70m high. A 1.3kmlong and 7mdiameter pressure tunnel will be constructed to connect the two reservoirs. The tunnel will feed water to the powerhouse at a rate of 200m³/s, enabling the turbines to achieve an efficiency of 78.9% within 90 seconds.