First pumped hydro project in the Gulf

Hitachi ABB Power Grids is to supply ANDRITZ Hydro with technology for grid connection and stabilisation for a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant under construction in the Hajar Mountains, 140 km southeast of Dubai. 

The Hatta pumped-storage power station is a first-of-its-kind project in the Arabian Gulf. It’s being developed by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) and will provide up to 250 MW of clean, flexible energy when it starts operating in early 2024. 

Hitachi ABB Power Grids will deliver two AC excitation systems, based on power electronic converters, to the project. The systems will ensure variable speed operations of the reversible rotating units. Hitachi ABB Power Grids will also supply an integrated solution to connect the plant to DEWA’s 132 kV network.  

The pumped-storage hydroelectric power station is made up of a lower reservoir near the Hatta dam and an upper reservoir built into the mountain about 300 m higher. During off-peak hours, turbines will pump water about 4 km from the lower to the upper reservoir, using power drawn from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. Stored water will be released to the lower reservoir during peak-load hours, driving turbines to quickly generate electricity to meet peak demand.