UAE inaugurates first utility-scale wind project

The UAE has inaugurated its first utility-scale wind project as part of the country's advance on its transition to clean energy production. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00 These windmills are part of the first utility-scale wind project in the United Arab Emirates.

00:07 Spread out across four locations, they use new technology to make wind power possible

00:13 in a country known for its hot and humid weather.

00:17 The turbines are part of a project run by UAE renewable energy firm Mazdar,

00:22 which partnered with Power China and Gold Wind International.

00:26 The wind turbines use a new technology to capture low wind speeds at utility scale,

00:32 adopting advances in material science and aerodynamics.

00:36 Gold Wind International's Wu Kai says the project's proximity to the sea created some challenges.

00:42 Not only humid but also salty.

00:45 So all such kind of things put together for sure lead to the operational issues,

00:50 to really even under the high temperature still keep the turbine operation smoothly.

00:56 And also if we're talking about one year, two years, three years or even longer,

01:01 as I said maybe 25 years, also consider all the major issues from corrosion.

01:07 This project is very important.

01:11 Mazdar's chief green hydrogen officer, Mohamed Abdelkader El-Ramahi,

01:16 says the project will produce around 230 gigawatt hours of clean renewable energy per year.

01:24 That will help power around 23,000 houses.

01:28 This project will be producing the green electron directly to the grid,

01:32 so it will be part of the national grid scheme.

01:35 It is part of UAE's vision and leadership as one of the pioneers in sustainable development

01:40 and energy transition to reach net zero by the year 2050

01:44 and also do all measures that help us decarbonize.

01:47 The wind project aligns with the country's effort to reach its climate goals

01:51 as it prepares to host the COP28 summit later in the year.

01:55 Here's El-Ramahi again.

01:57 This is only the first step whereby we will be moving towards more accelerated steps

02:02 into larger scale, commercially driven, utility scale wind projects

02:07 complementing solar PV to become one of the reliable energy mixed resources here in the UAE.

02:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]