Saudi Aramco to soon get 1st power from GE wind turbine

Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) will put online in January a 2.75-MW GE wind turbine in Turaif, the first one to be erected in Saudi Arabia.

The company recently took delivery of the machine, made by US conglomerate General Electric Co (NYSE:GE) and customised for climate conditions in Saudi Arabia. Construction of the foundations is in progress, it said on Sunday. The 2.75-120 machine will be erected at the Turaif Bulk Plant in the Northern Borders Province.

Turaif was selected by Saudi Aramco among four potential sites for the project, because of its good wind resource, ease of access, and the availability of power connection nearby. The output from the single wind turbine is estimated to offset diesel demand for power generation by 18,600 barrels of oil equivalent per year.

Also on Sunday, it was announced that Saudi Aramco and German industrial group Siemens (ETR:SIE) have agreed to partner in projects related to renewable energy, R&D and digitalisation for oil and gas.

Saudi Arabia has a goal of installing 9.5 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 under its Vision 2030 plan.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!