Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has secured an order to supply turbines for the 415MW Dumat Al Jandal wind project in Saudi Arabia from a consortium of EDF Renewables and Masdar.

Under the contract, Vestas will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the supply and installation of 99 V150-4.2 MW wind turbines for what is considered to become the first utility-scale wind farm in Saudi Arabia.

The contract also comes with a 20-year Active Output Management 4000 (AOM 4000) service agreement for the operation and maintenance of the Dumat Al Jandal wind farm.

Commenting on the Dumat Al Jandal wind project contract, Eduardo Medina – Vestas Mediterranean president said: “I would like to thank EDF Renewables and Masdar for the strong collaboration on developing this solution where we have leveraged our extensive experience in pioneering wind markets to win the competitive auction for the country’s first wind park.

“With our 4 MW platform’s market-leading cost of energy and our expertise throughout the entire wind energy value chain, the project delivers sustainable energy and develops the region’s renewable energy industry.”

The Dumat Al Jandal wind farm was awarded in January 2019 to EDF Renewables and Masdar by the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) of the Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources (MEIM).

Upon starting operations, the new wind farm in Saudi Arabia will supply power to the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

The Dumat Al Jandal wind project is part of Saudi Arabia’s plans to install 7GW of wind capacity within five years, and a capacity of 16GW by the year 2030.

Under the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), Saudi Arabia initially aims to have 3.45GW of renewables by 2020.

The initial program will include tendering to procure a mix of wind, solar PV, concentrated solar power (CSP) and Waste-to-Energy technology.

The Dumat Al Jandal wind project was awarded in the first round of tender launched under the NREP in 2017.

When operational, the $500 million worth Saudi Arabian wind project is expected to produce enough electricity to power up to 70,000 households. Besides, it is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs during construction and operation phases.

  Dumat Al Jandal wind project, EDF Renewables, Eduardo Medina, Masdar, Renewable Energy Project Development Office, Saudi Arabia, Vestas, Wind industry news