Dubai's DEWA will convert Hassyan coal-fired power plant to gas

The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority said Feb. 3 that it will convert its 2,400 MW Hassyan "clean coal" power plant to run off natural gas.

DEWA agreed with Hassyan Energy Co. to make the conversion, without saying why clean coal is being abandoned.

By 2030, Dubai has previously said it aims to have an energy mix of 25% solar, 7% nuclear power, 7% from clean coal and 61% from natural gas. The emirate currently consumes about 1.5 Bcf/d of natural gas, much of which is imported from Qatar.

"The initiative is consistent with the pivotal role that gas is expected to play in enabling economic growth in the UAE over the next 50 years," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, said in a statement.