JEDDAH: A 9.6-megawatt wind turbine has been installed in Duqm, Oman — the largest onshore unit of its kind outside of China.

The turbine is located near the OQ8 refinery and has blades nearly 100 meters long with a 115-meter tower, clean-energy company O-Green has said.

It will supply electricity to Duqm’s industrial ecosystem, including the nearby Mawarid Turbine manufacturing facility. 

The project comes as Oman seeks to expand renewable energy as part of its target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Ministry of Energy and Minerals estimates the country’s greenhouse-gas emissions at about 94 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, with emissions potentially rising to 127 million tonnes by 2050 without intervention. 

Oman’s updated net-zero strategy targets a 33 percent reduction in emissions from the 2024 baseline. Renewable energy is expected to account for 60 percent to 70 percent of energy production by 2040, rising to as much as 100 percent by 2050.  

“Omani contractors and specialists have been directly involved throughout the project, from engineering and site works through construction and the complex transportation and installation of the tower sections and blades,” the company said. 

It added that the turbine was engineered specifically to withstand the Gulf’s demanding operating conditions, ensuring reliable and sustainable performance over the long term. 

O-Green said the project “represents the next stage of Oman’s energy transition: building renewable energy infrastructure while localizing the technology and industrial capability behind it.” 

Building a wind-turbine industry 

The installation follows usufruct agreements signed in January between the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, or OPAZ, and Mawarid Turbine to establish a wind-turbine manufacturing and assembly plant in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, or SEZAD.

The agreements also covered the installation of six wind turbines to generate clean power for the facility, according to Oman News Agency, or ONA. 

Three plots were allocated for the project — one for the manufacturing and assembly plant, one for a single wind turbine and another for five turbines. 

The factory is planned to have annual production capacity of 800 to 1,000 MW, with the first phase requiring investment of about 70 million Omani rials ($182 million).

The initial phase will focus on turbine components and blades, while a second phase is expected to add tower manufacturing and other parts of the renewable-energy supply chain.  

The project is also intended to localize wind-turbine manufacturing and build national capabilities in the sector, according to OPAZ.