UAE First in the Gulf Region to Add Coal to Energy Mix, an Industrial Info Market Brief

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the first country in the Gulf region to commission a coal-fired power plant in the 600-megawatt (MW) unit at Hassyan in Dubai. The total capacity of the complex is to be enhanced to 2, 400MW by 2023. The Hassyan clean coal power station is an ultra-supercritical (USC) power plant equipped with four 600-MW steam turbine generator sets.

At the time when the shift is towards renewables, this coal-fired project is an exception not just in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) but in the Middle East region as a whole. It is also believed that this would be the last coal-fired project in the region as several other countries have already abandoned plans for coal-fired proposals. Oman has already shelved its coal-fired project in Duqm for which the tenders were launched in 2018, and Egypt has deferred its plans to set up any coal-fired power plants in the country.