The Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia has commemorated the mid-way mark of the construction of the Dumat Al Jandal wind farm, the Kingdom’s first utility-scale wind farm of more than 400MW capacity and the largest in the Middle East.
Vestas was one of the first companies to introduce wind power in the country in 2013 and is now contributing to Saudi Arabia’s16GW by 2030 through the Dumat Al Jandal wind farm. Once completed and commercially operational in 2022, the wind farm will potentially supply clean electricity to 70,000 Saudi households and will displace 988,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year in support of the Kingdom’s climate change mitigation goals.
Muhamed Bou-Zeid, General Manager of Vestas MENA, says: “Our ambition as a sustainable energy solutions provider with technology leadership in wind power is to co-create a renewable energy hub in Saudi Arabia and for the wider Middle East together with other sustainability leaders in the region. We believe that the Dumat Al Jandal wind farm is the first step to diversifying the energy sector and the renewable energy sector by adding wind power into the energy mix and ultimately creating three times more work opportunities for the local talent. As we strive to complete this project with quality and safety as a priority, we look forward to accelerating Saudi Arabia’s clean energy transition and sustainability leadership journey.”
Vestas has installed half of the 99 V150-4.2MW™wind turbines
Developed by a consortium led by renewable energy leaders in the region: EDF Renewables and Masdar, the EPC order was made firm for Vestas in July 2019 and included the supply and installation of 99 V150-4.2MW™ wind turbines, as well as a 20-year Active Output Management 4000 (AOM 4000) service agreement for the operation and maintenance of the wind farm.
Located in the Al-Jouf province, 900km north of Riyadh, the Dumat Al Jandal wind farm project was awarded to the consortium by the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) of the Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources (MEIM) in January 2019. The Dumat Al Jandal wind farm will supply electricity under a 20-year purchase agreement (PPA) with the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), a subsidiary of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the Saudi power generation and distribution company.
Will provide clean energy to 70,000 Saudi households
The 99 turbines, including their components, first arrived at Duba Port in September 2020. They were transported to the Dumat Al Jandal site, where they are currently being assembled and installed. Safety and quality measures are being enforced throughout the transportation and construction phase to ensure the protection and health of all Vestas employees and contractors, including safekeeping of the condition and reliability of the wind turbines and their components.