Construction of Hassyan clean coal power plant hits milestone

The hotel Burj Al-Arab is seen during sunset in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dec. 30, 2016. The UAE, located at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative, is an important partner for China to promote the Belt and Road Initiative. [Photo:Xinhua]

The construction of a China-funded clean coal power plant is now into its advanced stages in Dubai. The Middle East's first clean coal power plant is being financed by the Silk Road Fund, and is expected to be fully operational by 2023.

The Hassyan clean coal power plant is the first project to be funded, constructed and operated by Chinese enterprise under the the Belt and Road Initiative in the Middle East. Clean coal is chemically treated coal to cut pollution in the power plant. This multi-billion dollar plant is now about to pass its biggest milestone just over two years into construction. When complete, it's expected to produce sufficient electricity to supply 250-thousand households in the UAE. Vladimir Donovetsky, the plant's onsite project planning manager, says the project is on track to meet the set deadlines for completion.

"During the month of March, we are about to achieve two of the major milestones of the projects. One of them is the back energizing, that means that, starting from that milestone, which is about to be achieved this month, is the pressure of the hydraulic test of the boiler. The project is on track right now, we are expecting to reach the commercial operation date as per the original plan," says Vladimir Donovetsky.

Construction started in 2017 with about 3.4 billion US dollar into the project. It will comprise four units, with the first scheduled to start commercial operation in March next year. The project has a planned output capacity of 2400MW by 2023 when all units are fully operational. Zhao Guoran is an onsite manager.

"In the subsequent step, with the completion of the communicating pipes, oil circulation and other auxiliary works, in the next step, we may proceed to test operations step by step, and to launch the whole site," says Zhao Guoran.

The power plant has two depots, each with the standard coal storage capacity of 570-thousand tons. The coal depots are also built to adhere to industry and environmental standards. The main coal depot of the project is still under construction. It will cover an area of about 83-thousand square meters. Tang Qingzhi, the vice planning general manager, says all the parts are used in the construction are manufactured and assembled in China.

"The amount of steel used in the entire coal deposit is 8100 tons. We need to finish the processing and shipment of the coal depot within four months. The entire area of the United Arab Emirates and even the Middle East region doesn't have such large manufacturing capacity. Therefore, the Chinese enterprises manufactured and pre-assembled all the items and then shipped them to us. We then assemble them on the scene," says Tang Qingzhi.

Chinese products and technology have been utilized in the design and construction process. Some industry insiders are also suggesting the project provides an opportunity to showcase Chinese brands and capabilities in the Middle East.