Energy Diversification

Dhofar Wind Project is a seminal project to unlock the potential of this valuable renewable resource in Oman says Al Mukhtar Saleh Al Saifi, Manager Acting, New Technologies & Renewable Energy, Tanweer

Dhofar Wind Project was established with the purpose of implementing Royal directives and in line with Oman Vision 2040 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality, as well as to achieve 39 per cent of renewable and clean energy from the electricity produced in Oman by 2040. The Sultanate of Oman was granted with many renewable energy sources, out of which wind energy is the most important. A joint cooperation was announced between the government of the Sultanate of Oman represented by the Rural Areas Electricity Company (Tanweer) and the government of Abu Dhabi represented by Masdar Company to establish the first wind plant in Oman and in the Dhofar region.

The project has a number of objectives such as the study and research on the feasibility of such a mega-project in the wind energy field in Oman. Once this was done, a series of works preceding the construction of a wind energy station began based on the following:

1. Determining the ideal location for establishing the station through wind data available globally and locally. It was decided to be in Dhofar Governorate near the Fatkheet region.

2. Creation of weather towers called (met masts).These towers are 85 meters long and consists of many sensors which receive accurate data on wind speed, intensity, temperatures, pressure and other data. After which the preparation of the site starts for constructing a wind station.

The data was collected over a period of at least one year in order to carry out detailed studies and designs for the station. After that, the tender was awarded and the international partners were selected for the perfect design and implementation according to the available data, and the station was established in its current form.

The Dhofar Wind Power Plant commenced its commercial operation on November 15, 2019, with a total capacity of 50 MW. The plant consists of 13 wind turbines with a capacity of 3.8 MW each. The annual production capacity of the station is approximately 100-120 GWh, with an average wind speed of 6.3 meters/second. A very small part of this energy goes to operate the station and its facilities. The product is exported directly to the Dhofar Governorate network via 132KV lines owned by Oman Electricity Transmission Company. The station aims to reduce carbon emissions and implement the Royal directives to achieve zero neutrality in 2050, and this is represented in what the station contributes to reducing more than 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas per year. Since the operation of the station until the end of the year 2022, the energy produced from the station was approximately 347 GWh.