Limitless, the real estate development arm of Dubai World, will build seven 120-megawatt substations worth Dh840 million to supply power for the Downtown Jebel Ali mega development.
"Each sub-station will cost Dh120m and currently two sub-stations have been completed for zone one and two. Another five sub-stations will be constructed as the development progresses," said Burton Mangharam, Development Manager, Downtown Jebel Ali.
Bahwan Engineering Company has built the two sub-stations, while no contracts have been awarded for the remaining five as yet.
Limitless is also looking at harnessing the power of sun. "Downtown Jebel Ali will adopt a number of green intiatives in line with Dubai's green buildings code. Solar power will be among those initiatives," Mangharam said.
Downtown Jebel Ali, a mixed-use urban development, is being built at an estimated cost of $13 billion (Dh47.7bn). It will be a two million square metre urban centre situated between Jebel Ali Free Zone, Techno Park and Dubai Waterfront. The development will have extensive transport links between each of the four zones that comprise the project and Dubai Metro and will be completed in 2013.
It will have 326 buildings, 237 of which will be residential. More than 200,000 people are estimated to live and work in Downtown Jebel Ali.
Simultaneously, infrastructure work on the $11bn Arabian Canal will commence by year-end as the developer plans to set up its own captive power plants.
"We have already started trail excavations and are working on plans to develop our own energy sources. We are also looking at the option of generating our own electricity. Besides, the development will also have its own desalination and sewage plants," Ian Raine, Limitless development manager for Arabian Canal had told Emirates Business earlier.
The major contracts for the project will be awarded in the middle of the year. "There will be six to seven contractors working on the project looking at the project," he said. Excavation work on the inland canal is already under way and construction is due to be completed in three to five years. About 1.5 million people are expected to live along
the inland canal, a 1,400 hectare development, which will be developed by Limitless, Raine said, adding the project's overall development will possibly take about 10 to 15 years.
"We are also conducting a hydrological study so that we don't contaminate ground water," Raine said.
Arabian Canal will be 150 metres wide and six metres deep, and will flow inland from Dubai Waterfront, passing to the east of the new Dubai World Central
International Airport before turning back towards The Palm Jumeirah.
Limitless is also planning a mixed-use development, which will be part of the Arabian Canal project. The $50bn development will span up to 20,000 hectares and stretch for 33km along the inland section of the waterway, east of the new international airport.
As reported earlier by Emirates Business, Dubailand, a complete entertainment destination developed by Dubai Holding unit Tatweer will meet the entire electricity needs of the master development.