GE has commissioned Saudi Arabia’s first utility-scale wind power turbine for Saudi Aramco.
The company has installed a 2.75-120 machine at a so-called bulk plant in Turaif, in the northwest of the country.
The turbine includes a desert protection package designed for the local conditions, Aramco said. It has 120-metre blades and a tip height of 145 metres.
The demonstration project highlights the viability of deploying wind power in the kingdom, according to the company.
Wind energy is set to grow in Saudi Arabia driven by a target of 3.45GW of renewable energy capacity by 2020 and 9.5GW by 2023.
“The commissioning of the first wind turbine is the start of something new in the Kingdom that Saudi Aramco is driving with our partners,” executive director for power systems Abdulkarim Ghamdi said.
“Wind turbine number 1 in Turaif will fully meet the electricity needs for the bulk plant and even feed surplus electricity back into the national grid.”
Image: Saudi Aramco
