Saudi Aramco plans to commission its wind turbine pilot project, the first in the Kingdom, next month, the state oil company said on Sunday, part of nationwide plans to diversify energy supplies and to meet an increase in demand.
The wind turbine, supplied by US company General Electric (GE) will provide power to Saudi Aramco’s bulk plant in Turaif, in northwest Saudi Arabia.
“The first electricity is expected to be supplied to the Saudi Aramco bulk plant once commissioning of the wind turbine is completed in January 2017,” Aramco said in a statement. Saudi Arabia plans to generate 9.5 gigawatts of electricity from renewable energy.
Abdulkarim Al-Ghamdi, Saudi Aramco’s executive head for power systems said: “Saudi Aramco is actively promoting the reduction of energy intensity across the Kingdom by advocating responsible policies, awareness, and energy innovation.”
The new wind turbine will generate 2.75 megawatts of power at its peak, enough to power around 250 Saudi households, the company said.
It will also reduce the burning of diesel for power generation by 18,600 barrels of oil equivalent per year (boepd).

Source: Arab News