The Hassyan power plant (Hassyan PP) was proposed as a gas-fuelled power plant on the shores of the Arabian Gulf in Hassyan, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The project was planned to be an integrated development comprising a power island and desalination island. The production capacity of the desalination island was estimated at 720 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD).
Hassyan PP was expected to be developed by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and, with a production capacity of 9,000MW, would have been one of the largest power plants in the world.
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DEWA announced its decision to defer the project in 2012 following a review of its plans to meet future power and water demand. The decision was part of the authority’s policy to focus on optimising power consumption and preserving natural resources through the use of the latest technologies and green building initiatives. A clean coal-fired power plant with a 2,400MW capacity is being developed in phases at the same site. The Hassyan clean coal power plant is expected to be fully operational in 2023.
Hassyan power plant details
The project was designed to meet the increasing demand for power and water in Dubai. It was planned to be carried out in six phases, with each phase involving the construction of a power island with 1,500MW capacity and desalination island with 120MIGD capacity. The cost of each phase was estimated to be between $2bn and $3bn.
The first power station, P1, was expected to become operational in 2014, followed by the remaining five.
Bids for the project were received from multiple interested consortia in December 2011. The consortium of Marubeni, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company and SK E&S emerged as the lowest bidder.
DEWA selected Mott MacDonald (MMD) as the owner’s engineer for the P1 station, seawater intake and outfall system. MMD carried out the feasibility study for the development of the 9,000MW power plant and 720MIGD desalination plant. It was also involved in the work related to site layout and provided co-ordination for the entire Hassyan complex.
The Hassyan PP was planned to be housed on a 4km² site located 60km south-west of Dubai. The P1 power island was proposed to incorporate a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) system comprising four F-class gas turbines, four heat recovery steam generators and two backpressure steam turbines.
The power island was to use natural gas as the primary fuel and diesel oil as the secondary fuel in case of a disruption in the natural gas supply. The Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP) was selected to supply the required fuel. A service corridor was proposed to be built along the southern length of the site to supply natural gas and diesel to each power island.
The plan for the Dubai power station included four fuel storage tankers with a capacity equivalent to operating the P1 station for ten days.
The project was planned to include a seawater intake canal to provide water for desalination and cooling to all six islands of the project. The canal was proposed to be built along the northern length of the site and designed to carry 90,000gal of water per second.
Hassyan PP construction
Six power islands and six desalination units were to be built on the site. The construction schedule of the Hassyan PP was planned to be implemented in six stages. Each stage was supposed to involve the construction of power stations with a capacity of 1,500MW. The construction of the first two plants, P1 and P2, was proposed as the first phase of the project.
The construction of the intake canal for the desalination facility began in 2009. It included the construction of a 1.5km offshore canal and 4km onshore canal. An offshore outfall channel, which discharges cooling water and brine from the facility, was also planned.
The outfall channel’s terminal was planned at a distance of 4km from the sea in order to avoid the re-circulation of warm discharged brine into the intake channel.
CCGT technology in Hassyan power plant
The power plant proposal included a CCGT system for power generation, to enhance efficiency and reduce emissions.
The CCGT was to include inlet filters that drew in the air required for combustion. The Dubai power station was planned to be operated automatically from a central control room of the power plant. A distributed control system (DCS) was to be integrated in order to control and monitor the power station.
Transmission details of Hassyan power plant
The power produced by each generator of P1 was planned to be transmitted to a 400kV substation by using gas-insulated lines. The substation was to further supply the power to the DEWA transmission network.
