Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved six new projects in Hatta as part of the Hatta development plan.

The projects announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum include the establishment of 504km-long chairlifts, Dubai mountain peak at an altitude of 1,300 metres, Hatta sustainable waterfalls, a world-class hotel, in addition to hiking trails to the highest peak in Dubai (Jebel Umm Al Nisour, at 1,300 metres).

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Hatta residents will also be allowed to build 200 holiday homes to support domestic tourism in district.

“In 2016, we started our development project in Hatta. Tourists doubled from 60,000 to one million in 2020, and the new projects by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority will provide 500 jobs for young people of Hatta. The new holiday homes will provide an annual income of more than Dhs100 million for the people of the region. A decent life for our citizens will remain our goal in all our projects,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

Tourists doubled from 60,000 to one million in 2020.

“Hatta is a model for small cities in the region. It has turned within a short period of time into one of the most important tourist destinations in the emirate, thanks to its different lifestyle. The development and tourism projects in Hatta will have a significant impact on promoting national tourism and providing a distinctive tourism and cultural experience for visitors and the community,” Sheikh Mohammed added.

The ‘Dubai Mountain Peak’ and ‘Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls’ project, which will be implemented by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, aim to support development plans in Hatta and enhance its position as one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the emirate of Dubai and in UAE.

Sheikh Mohammed recently inaugurated the 300 megawatt (MW) first stage of the 900MW fifth phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

Implemented by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, the solar park is the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned total capacity of 5,000MW by 2030.

The Solar Park’s projects constitute one of the key pillars of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to provide 75 percent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. The fifth phase investments amount to Dhs2.058 billion, according to DEWA.

The projects include the establishment of 504km-long chairlifts, Hatta sustainable waterfalls.

In November 2019, DEWA announced the consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation as the Preferred Bidder to build and operate the fifth phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park using photovoltaic (PV) solar panels based on the IPP model. DEWA achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of US$1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour (Levelised Cost of Energy) for this phase. A total of 60 Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) were received from international developers.

To implement the project, DEWA established Shuaa Energy 3 in partnership with the consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation. DEWA owns 60 percent of the company, and the consortium owns the remaining 40 percent. The project uses the latest Solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies, which allows solar radiation to reach the front and back of the panels, with single-axis tracking to increase generation. The fifth phase will provide clean energy to over 270,000 residences in Dubai, including 90,000 residences by the commissioned first stage, and will reduce 1.18 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. To be commissioned in stages until 2023, the fifth phase uses the latest solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies with Single Axis Tracking to increase energy production.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid also launched a project to study the feasibility of generating electricity by utilising wind energy in Hatta. Based on field visits and available preliminary data on wind in Hatta, DEWA has identified the location for a wind farm with a total capacity of about 28MW. Actual wind speed for a full year is currently being measured at the location using a 150-metre metal tower. The purpose is to collect accurate data and study the total capacity of the power plant as well as other technical details in terms of number of turbines, capacity of each, annual operating hours, among other things.

WAM