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The UAE has commenced operations of its first utility-scale wind project that can power 23,000 homes and displace 120,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
With a combined capacity of 103.5 megawatts (MW), the country’s first wind farms, built across four locations were inaugurated on Thursday by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
The UAE’s energy producer Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) developed the landmark project, which can capture low wind speeds at utility scale.
The wind farms are located in Abu Dhabi’s Delma Island (with a 27-MW capacity), Al Sila (27 MW) and Sir Bani Yas Island (45 MW), and Fujairah’s Al Halah (4.5 MW).
The start of the project’s operations marks the first time that the UAE has added utility-scale wind power to its energy mix.
The UAE’s grid is powered by a mix of generation sources, including landmark solar, nuclear and waste-to-energy plants.
“Today’s launch of the UAE’s first utility-scale wind program is the result of years of hard work and collaboration,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar’s CEO.
Previously, the UAE was not able to harness the power of wind energy due to low wind speeds in the country.
However, new innovations within climate technology have now made it possible to produce wind power.
“The UAE Wind Program is a great source of national pride and a demonstration of Masdar’s ability to pioneer and implement innovations in wind and renewable energy technologies,” said Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, COP28 President-Designate and Chairman of Masdar.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
