Oman’s first utility-scale wind farm has begun generating electricity, according to media reports. The Dhofar Wind Power Project funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development produced its first kilowatt hour of electricity last week.
Oman’s wind farm is expected to commence commercial operations by the end of 2019. It was jointly constructed by GE in partnership with Spain’s TSK, media reports said. The project is being implemented by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar).
The power it generated was successfully connected to Oman’s electricity transmission grid last week. With a 50MW capacity, the wind farm comprises 13 towering wind turbines. With the project’s first power generation last week, the remaining 12 turbines will be commissioned, tested, and connected to the grid accordingly.
After the project is fully commissioned it is expected to supply electricity for 16,000 homes equal to 7 percent of Dhofar Governorate’s total power demand. That said, it will offset 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
The Rural Areas Electricity Company (Tanweer) as part of Nama Group announced that the project is located at Harweel in Dhofar Governorate. “Tanweer is proud to announce the launch of the Dhofar Wind Power Project as one of the major achievements of the project. The commercial operation of the plant is expected in the coming months., the company tweeted.
The Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP) company plans to obtain at least 2,200MW of electricity from renewable sources by 2025 to serve the northern half of the Sultanate. OPWP is the only offtaker of power output and water desalination projects.