Project will be operated by locally hired Saudis RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s first large industrial-scale wind farm will be ready to operate within the coming weeks and is expected to produce its first power within months, said EDF Executive Director for Renewable Energy Bruno Bensasson. The 400 MW project in Dumat Al Jandal consists of 99 turbines and will be operated by locally hired Saudis, he told Arab News in an interview on the sidelines of the FII summit in Riyadh. “It will produce renewable power at a very competitive price,” Bensasson said. “It also helps the country to shift power production from liquids to a mix of gas and renewables.” The Kingdom’s first utility-scale wind-power farm is being developed by a consortium led by EDF Renewables in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based Masdar. Once fully operational, it will reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 1 million tons annually and supply 72,000 homes with clean energy. Its tariff of $21.3 per megawatt-hour (MWh), the lowest bid submitted, was reduced to $19.9/MWh at financial close, making Dumat Al-Jandal the most cost-efficient wind-energy project in the world. According to the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council, the development of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy sector could create up to 750,000 jobs over the next decade, as the Kingdom pushes to generate 7 percent of its total electricity output from renewables by 2030. “Wind and solar are complimentary,” said Bensasson. “Solar, of course, delivers power during the day when the sun is here. Wind is a bit different. It comes, for instance, in the evening when the sun is not here anymore. So, we will do both wind and solar.” Renewable energy projects, including wind and solar, are planned across more than 35 parks in Saudi Arabia by 2030.