Dhofar Wind Project wins Wind Project of the Year 2019 at the Asian Power Awards

The Dhofar Wind Project has won the Wind Project of the Year 2019 at the Asian Power Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Stefano Raciti, Country Manager of Mubadala Petroleum, accepted the award on behalf of Masdar accompanied by Saleh bin Nasser Al Rumhi, Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Ramadhan Al Qalam, Business Planning & Regulatory Manager and Khalil Mubarak Al Mandhari, Head of Renewable Energy from Tanweer – the Rural Areas Electricity Company of Oman, which is responsible for operating the wind power plant. 

The landmark wind farm, which is fully funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the leading national entity for development aid, reflects Oman’s commitment to diversify its energy sources. 

The 50-megawatt (MW) project recently produced its first kilowatt hour of electricity, marking a major milestone for the GCC region’s first utility-scale wind farm. The wind farm was successfully connected to Oman’s electricity transmission grid last month during the commissioning of the project’s first wind turbine, which is now supplying clean power. The remaining 12 wind turbines will be commissioned, tested and connected to the grid in sequence, ensuring the start of commercial operations before the end of 2019.

The project is being implemented by Masdar on behalf of ADFD, through an EPC consortium of GE Renewable Energy and TSK. The wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to supply 16,000 homes, equivalent to 7 per cent of the Dhofar Governorate’s total power demand – and will offset an estimated 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, while reducing reliance on natural gas for domestic power generation.

The Asian Power Awards are the region’s most prestigious power sector accolade, recognising ground-breaking projects and trailblazing initiatives.