Palm Deira reclamation over 25% complete

Significant progress is being made on the development, with reclamation and infrastructure works moving ahead at a considerable pace. Nakheel has now reclaimed approximately 300 million cubic meters of the sand required to build the 42 million square metre island, which will be half the size of Paris when complete.

Reclamation of the first phase, Deira Island Front is now 80 per cent complete. This will include a balanced mix of commercial, residential apartment and mixed use plots, with a range of apartment-type and villa residential housing, a vibrant mix of commercial, residential and recreational significant commercial, residential, and retail offerings as well as hundreds of berthing spaces in five modern marinas.

Construction of a dedicated sales centre for The Palm Deira is currently underway and scheduled to open by the end of the year. A public promenade with views overlooking the Dubai skyline and the first of five state-of-the-art marinas are also planned to open by the end of this year.

Adnan Al- Naqi, Managing Director of The Palm Deira, said:

“Construction of The Palm Deira is progressing well. Completing over a quarter of the total reclamation on this major landmark project is a significant milestone. We have been working with our key partners to ensure that we can deliver and meet the challenging demands of such a large undertaking. The success of this development to date has been shaped by our extensive experience as world leaders in waterfront developments and strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.''

The Palm Deira recently hosted directors from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) on a visit to view the sites of the nine utility substations that will operate on the landmark project. The partnership between Nakheel and DEWA establishes a project to create several state-of-the-art utility substations on The Palm Deira. The first phase of the project will produce nine utility substations of 132 /22 KV valued at AED 900,000,000. Nakheel and DEWA contracted with Areva, ETA, and Siemens to work on the utilities project which is expected to be complete by end of 2009.

Chris O'Donnell, Nakheel Chief Executive Officer, said:

“When complete, The Palm Deira will be a major landmark city for Dubai and to ensure it makes the greatest possible contribution to Dubai's growth, we are working closely with our partners, like DEWA, to ensure the best distribution of all services. This first phase of state-of-the-art utility substations reflects our commitment to deliver the highest quality infrastructure for the hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors on The Palm Deira.''

Deira Island will be connected by bridges with the current area of Deira, between the mouth of Dubai Creek and Port Hamriya, and will act as both a key commercial centre, and the main gateway to The Palm Deira. Located between the mouth of Dubai Creek and Port Hamriya, the entire development will have an estimated 166km of waterfront for a population of 1.3 million people.

The Palm Deira is destined to be the largest man-made island in the world which will be 7.5 times bigger than The Palm Jumeirah, and 5 times bigger than The Palm Jebel Ali. The development, which started in 2003, plans to revitalize Deira, the historical centre of Dubai, by providing new investment and commercial opportunities close by.