Muscat: The 50-megawatt (MW) Dhofar Wind Farm in Oman has produced its first kilowatt hour of electricity, marking a major milestone for the GCC region’s first utility-scale wind farm.

The landmark wind farm, which is fully funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), was successfully connected to Oman’s electricity transmission grid last week during the commissioning of the project’s first wind turbine, which is now supplying clean power. 

The remaining 12 wind turbines will be commissioned, tested and connected to the grid in sequence, ensuring the start of commercial operations before the end of 2019.

Once fully commissioned, the wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to supply 16,000 homes — equivalent to 7 per cent of Dhofar Governorate’s total power demand —and will offset an estimated 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, while reducing reliance on natural gas for domestic power generation.