A new breeze blew in Saudi Arabia Tuesday when the oil-dependent kingdom inaugurated its first wind turbine as part of a renewable energy drive. State oil giant Saudi Aramco said the turbine was developed in partnership with US industrial conglomerate General Electric.
It will power an Aramco plant in Turaif, near Jordan. "One wind turbine creates enough power to supply 250 homes, can displace 19,000 barrels of oil equivalent, and generate 2.75MW, thereby reducing demand for electricity from the national grid," Saudi Aramco said in a statement.
The oil company is driving national efforts to achieve 9.5 gigawatts of renewable energy production by 2030, under the kingdom's economic reform plan to wean the kingdom off oil. Government estimates say Saudi peak energy demand is expected to exceed 120 gigawatts by 2032.
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