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28 March 2024

First Metro power plant completed

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By Staff Writer

(SUPPLIED)   

 
  

The first of the three main power supply plants to fuel Dubai Metro has been completed on schedule, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said.

 

The plant at Jebel Ali has a maximum installed capacity of 160 megawatts and a dual step-down 132/33 kilovolt transformer, according to a senior RTA official.

 

It is also fully automated and equipped with advance protection and monitoring systems in addition to fire-fighting facilities.

 

Adnan Al Hammadi, Rail Construction Director at the RTA, said engineers from the Rail Agency worked in consultation with experts from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) in the construction and commissioning of the sub-station ensuring all necessary safety steps were taken.

 

The other main power supply plant stations, two and three, are under construction at Union Square and will be used for powering the Red and Green lines of the Metro, Al Hammadi said.

The Jebel Ali power station, or main power supply plant One, will provide power for the initial test track on the Red Line.

 

The Metro’s trial runs will start within the next three to four months.
 
Later, main power supply plants One, Two and Three will provide power to the entire Metro network, including stations on the 52.1km Red line of the Metro from Rashidiya to Jebel Ali and the 22km Green line from Al Qusais to Al Jaddaf.
 
“The design of Metro’s power network is robust and reliable. In the unlikely event of a total failure of any one main power supply plants, the entire rail network will not be affected.
 
Metro utilises the concept of braking power regeneration to help minimise power consumption from the Dewa grid,” he said.

 

“The power system is one of the major components in the Metro’s operations. Special emphasis was therefore placed on ensuring its reliability to provide a foolproof system.

 

“The RTA co-coordinated with Dewa to ensure that the implementation of the network was in compliance with Dewa and international standards,” he added.
 

The power network will be monitored and controlled from a dedicated Operations Control Centre to ensure safe and reliable operations.

 

The Metro is expected to strengthen the concept of environmental friendliness, which Dubai is committed to promoting, and is expected to eventually lead to less pollution by reducing the number of vehicles on the road.