Arun ShankarMasdar, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, announced the installation of the first of 13 turbines at the 50 megawatt Dhofar Wind Farm. Located in the southern Omani governorate of Dhofar, the project is fully financed by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. The project follows an agreement signed in 2014 between Masdar and the Rural Areas Electricity Company of Oman Tanweer. A Masdar-led consortium including GE and Spain’s TSK is developing the Gulf region’s first large-scale commercial wind farm.
GE is providing the project’s 3.8 MW wind turbines, while TSK is responsible for the rest of the wind farm’s infrastructure, which includes medium and high-voltage substations and 13-kilometres of overhead transmission lines. Masdar is the project developer and implementation lead. All 13 turbines are scheduled to be installed by March 2019.
The Dhofar Wind Farm is expected to become operational by the third quarter of 2019. It will supply 7% of the Dhofar governorate’s electricity demand, or enough clean energy to power an estimated 16,000 homes, while offsetting an estimated 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Once complete, the wind farm will be handed over to Tanweer, which will then operate the plant and supply the generated electricity to the local Dhofar power grid through an overhead power line managed by the Oman Electricity Transmission Company. The Oman Power and Water Procurement Company will offtake the generated electricity from Tanweer in line with a power purchase agreement signed on September 12, 2017.
Dr Manar Al Moneef, General Manager, GE Renewable Energy for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey, said: “The wind farm features our 3.8-130 wind turbine customised to the desert conditions specific to the Gulf region. The country has untapped potential in renewable energy, particularly wind energy. With this project, we are demonstrating our commitment to supporting the diversification of the energy mix in Oman and the wider region.”
Eng Saleh Bin Nasser Al Rumhi, Chief Executive Officer of Tanweer, said: “We are looking forward to the implementation of this initiative, which will be the first large-scale renewables project in Oman. Our team has worked closely with all the participants to bring this technology to the Sultanate and to ensure knowledge transfer in the country. Tanweer’s mandate is to supply electricity to large areas of Oman, and this project fits well with our expertise and ambition. The company is licensed to generate, transmit, distribute, and supply electricity in the concession areas. Our customers include cities, villages, and local communities scattered across almost 75% of the land area of the Sultanate. We are also looking to implement other renewable technologies, including solar PV, to augment our existing generation plants across 11 site locations.”
Joaquin Garcia Rico, CEO of TSK, said: “We are very proud to have been awarded this important project in the Sultanate of Oman, a country where we have found great people and impressive opportunities to work together with local companies and share our knowledge and technology with them. We are also delighted to have a client like Masdar, a company that is contributing to improving the energy infrastructure and living standards in different countries. On this project, we are working together with our long-term partner GE and remain confident that we will achieve a very successful project as we have done together in other countries.”
Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company Masdar is advancing the commercialisation and deployment of renewable energy, sustainable urban development and clean technologies to address global sustainability challenges. Wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, the strategic investment company of the Government of Abu Dhabi, the mandate is to help maintain the UAE’s leadership in the global energy sector, while supporting the diversification of both its economy and energy sources for the benefit of future generations. Masdar’s renewable energy projects are located in the UAE, Jordan, Mauritania, Egypt, Morocco, the UK, Serbia and Spain.
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development is a national organisation owned by the Abu Dhabi government. Established in 1971, its purpose is to help emerging countries by providing concessionary loans to finance sustainable development projects alongside other long-term investments and direct contributions. In addition, the Fund manages government grants offered by the Abu Dhabi government and monitors the course of the relevant projects. To date, it has invested around AED83 billion in development projects across 88 countries.
- Key takeaways
- Masdar, GE, TSK are developing the region’s first large-scale commercial wind farm.
- GE is providing 3.8 MW wind turbines while TSK is responsible for the wind farm’s infrastructure.
- Masdar is the project developer and implementation lead.
- All 13 turbines are scheduled to be installed by March 2019.
- Dhofar Wind Farm is expected to become operational by the third quarter of 2019.
- It will supply 7% of the Dhofar governorate’s electricity demand.
- Once complete, the wind farm will be handed over to Tanweer, which will supply electricity to the local Dhofar power grid.
