Executives from Saudi Aramco’s Power Systems and GE recently gathered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, to celebrate the delivery of the first wind turbine in the country.
Supplied by GE, the 2.75-120 wind turbine will provide power to Saudi Aramco’s Bulk Plant, located in Turaif in northwest Saudi Arabia. The turbine will generate 2.75 MW of power at its peak – which is enough to sustain roughly 250 Saudi households.
The machine, which arrived to Jubail port in October, will be transported on a 12-vehicle convoy from Dammam to Turaif. Foundations are currently being constructed.
Once commissioned in January, the wind turbine will present a striking landmark on the Turaif skyline, says Saudi Aramco. Specifically, the tips of the blades will reach a height of 145 meters – or almost half the height of Riyadh’s Kingdom Tower.
The demonstration project has been developed by Saudi Aramco in partnership with GE to highlight the viability of deploying wind power in the kingdom.
According to Saudi Aramco, wind energy will become a key source of power under the National Renewables Program, which will deliver – from both wind and solar – a combined 9.5 GW to the kingdom by 2023.
Since the inception of its renewable energy team in 2010, Saudi Aramco has been actively pursuing opportunities in support of the kingdom’s goal to integrate renewable energy.
In 2012, Saudi Aramco says it commenced an extensive resource measurement program that confirmed the kingdom’s exceptional wind resource.
