Dumat Al Jandal, the biggest wind farm in the Middle East and the first in Saudi Arabia, is now connected to the grid and has generated its first carbon-free megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy.
The wind farm is made up of 99 Vestas wind turbines, each with a power output of 4.2 MW. The erection of the wind turbines began in September 2019 and is nearly complete. A consortium led by EDF Renewables and Masdar, two of the world’s premier renewable energy businesses, is developing a 400 megawatt (MW) utility-scale wind power project.
The wind farm will create carbon-free energy that will power up to 70,000 Saudi families while reducing CO2 emissions by 988,000 tonnes per year, helping the country meet its climate change mitigation targets.
Osama Al Othman Country Representative Saudi Arabia Masdar
“Masdar is proud to be leveraging its experience in renewable energy to deliver the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s first wind farm in collaboration with our partners. The successful connection of the project to the electricity transmission grid marks an important milestone for this landmark project in the Kingdom and we look forward to the project’s completion shortly. As a global leader in the development of commercially viable wind power, Masdar is committed to advancing clean technology across the region and we will continue our efforts to support the country’s ambitious energy program.”
The wind farm is built by more than 600 employees in the area, contributing to the region’s economic activity, during the construction period. As a result of the tight health and safety protocols on site, the project was able to secure 1.8 million man-hours without a single lost-time injury (LTI).
Mr. Olivier Marchand, Project Director of Dumat Al Jandal Wind Co for Energy LLC, commented that “We are delighted to start the early power production of this unique large-scale wind project in KSA – Dumat Al Jandal wind farm. The outstanding commitment shown by our teams and contractors with the implementation of the highest health and safety standards and the full support provided by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Energy, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPCC), and the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has contributed to the successful execution of the project during this extremely challenging pandemic period.”
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