An agreement was signed between Oman's Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAECO) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar ) to build the first wind energy power plant in Oman.
The first-of-its-kind project in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is in line with the government's long-term vision to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and slash energy subsidies.
It will be the first large-scale wind farm project in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to Emirates News Agency.
The ceremony was held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Taimur bin As'ad Al Said. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE minister of state and chairman of Masdar 's board of directors, Hamed bin Salim Al Magdheri, chief executive officer of RAECO, and a number of other officials attended the ceremony.
The $125 million project, with a capacity of 50MW, will come up in Harweel in the governorate of Dhofar in a total area of 200,000 square metres, RAECO said in a statement.
The daily production of the plant is estimated at 1,200MW/hr.
RAECO had said earlier that the project will be funded by Masdar . It is expected to be completed in 24 months and go on stream in early 2017.
The production capacity of the plant will be enough for about 50 per cent of consumption of Dhofar in the winter.
It will also represent about 7 per cent of the total capacity of the electricity network in Dhofar. More than 16,000 houses will benefit from the project.
Reducing carbon emission
According to the statement, the plant will help reduce the release of 110,000 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide in air.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Al Said noted that the unique joint venture highlights Oman's keenness to strengthen the bonds of cooperation with the UAE in all areas.
The UAE minister of state and chairman of Masdar also said that the project will be the first renewable energy project implemented by Masdar in the GCC after their success in implementing several mega projects in the UAE and other countries.
Clean energy
The Sultanate is one of the most promising markets for clean energy due to the possession of abundant resources of wind and solar energy, Al Jaber said.
According to Emirates News Agency, Masdar has a strong track record of delivering large-scale renewable energy projects in the region and across the globe.
In the wind sector, Masdar delivered the London Array, the largest offshore wind farm in the world, and is currently part of a consortium working to complete the Dudgeon Wind Farm, a 402MW project in the United Kingdom. In the Middle East, Masdar is also working to deliver the 117MW Tafila onshore wind farm in Jordan.
Times of Oman
24 October
