Masdar & EDF led 400MW Wind Farm in Saudi Arabia Begins Generation

The 400 MW utility-scale wind power project, developed by a consortium led by EDF Renewables and Masdar, two of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, has started to produce electricity.

The wind farm is claimed to be the largest and first in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Called Dumat Al Jandal, it has been successfully connected to the grid and has produced its first carbon-free megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy.

The wind farm consists of 99 wind turbines from the supplier and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contractor Vestas, each with a power output of 4.2 MW. Construction began in September 2019, and the wind turbine erection works are near completion. Vestas is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines. Its General Manager, Muhamed Bou-Zeid said, “With the full endorsement of the authorities and our partners in Saudi Arabia, we have been fortunate and privileged to contribute to the Kingdom’s clean energy diversification strategy through the Dumat Al Jandal wind farm."

The wind farm is also claimed to be creating more than 600 local jobs during the construction phase. This wind farm will supply electricity under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Saudi Power Procurement Company, a subsidiary of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the Saudi power generation and distribution company.

EDF Renewables is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the French utility EDF Group, specializing in renewable energy production. “It is an honor to contribute to the Kingdom’s energy transition with the start of the production of Dumat Al Jandal wind farm, the most powerful in the Middle East. This major step clearly demonstrates our ability to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aiming to reduce the country’s carbon footprint," expressed Mr. Olivier Bordes, CEO of EDF Renewables Middle East.

He added, "We are thriving to expand renewable energies in KSA and the GCC region to fight together with the global climate change, in line with EDF’s CAP 2030 strategy aiming to double its net installed capacity from 28 GW to 60 GW between 2015 and 2030."

While the UAE-based renewable energy firm, Masdar is said to be proud to be leveraging its experience in renewable energy to deliver the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s first wind farm in collaboration with our partners. The successful connection of the project to the electricity transmission grid marks an important milestone for this landmark project in the Kingdom and we look forward to the project’s completion in the near future," said Mr. Osama Al Othman, Country Representative, Saudi Arabia, Masdar.

Recently, Masdar and its partner PT PJBI announced today that their joint venture (JV) has achieved the financial close on the Cirata Floating Solar Power Plant project in Indonesia.