First utility-scale wind farm in GCC begins producing power

The first utility-scale wind farm in the GCC has begun producing power.

The 50-megawatt (MW) Dhofar wind farm in Oman has produced its first kilowatt hour of electricity, after being connected to Oman’s electricity grid last week.

One turbine at the wind farm is currently operational, with the remaining 12 set to come online by the end of 2019.

Fully funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the project is being implemented by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) through an EPC consortium of GE Renewable Energy and Spain’s TSK.

The wind farm is expected to be able to generate power for about 16,000 homes once it is fully operational. This should help offset an estimated 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) will be the purchaser of the electricity the wind farm generates.

Rural Areas Electricity Company of Oman (Tanweer) will be responsible for operating the wind farm once the project is finished.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, said: “The successful connection of the first wind turbine to the electricity transmission grid at the Dhofar wind farm is a major step for Oman and the country’s ambitions to diversify its energy mix to include renewables.”

The Dhofar wind farm’s 3.8MW turbines were supplied by GE Renewable Energy, and were built specifically for Oman’s hot and dry desert climate. The remainder of the win farm’s infrastructure was supplied by TSK, including the equipment necessary to transmit electricity to Oman’s power grid.

Said Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of ADFD said: “ADFD recognised early on the importance of funding renewable energy projects in driving the objectives of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“ADFD has, since its inception, partnered with regional and international stakeholders, contributing to the production of about 2,584MW of renewable energy in different countries.”