Masdar, Oman to build 50 MW wind farm

Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar has signed a joint development agreement with Oman’s Rural Areas Electricity Company (Raeco) under which the two entities will develop what they are calling the first large-scale wind farm in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Masdar and Raeco will invest $125 million U.S. in the development of the 50 MW wind farm in the Dhofar Governorate of Oman. Construction of the facility, which will consist of 25 wind turbines, is scheduled to begin during the fourth quarter of 2015. Masdar said that the overall opportunity for clean energy investment in the GCC region amounts to about $100 billion over the next five years. “The region is rapidly adopting renewable energy as a viable solution to meet growing electricity demands and to address long-term resource security,” said Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, minister of state for the United Arab Emirates and chairman of Masdar. “The United Arab Emirates is a first mover, and the country is extending its global energy leadership through the deployment of wind and solar power domestically and internationally.”