COP28 Host UAE Opens Its First Utility-Scale Wind Farm

In a renewable energy push before the COP28 climate summit, host country United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened its first utility-scale wind project.

Run by renewables company Masdar, the 103.5-megawatt operation will span four locations and bring power to more than 23,000 homes, according to Masdar, reported Reuters. Sultan Al Jaber, incoming president of COP28, is the founding chief executive and chair of Masdar.

“This project… will help displace around 120,000 tons of CO2 — carbon footprint — annually,” said Mohammad Abdelqader El-Ramahi, chief green hydrogen officer at Masdar, as Reuters reported. “And that would be the equivalent of removing around 26,000 cars from the roads.”

Utility-scale wind energy was not previously possible in the UAE because of low wind speeds, but Masdar said advances in materials and aerodynamics have allowed the project’s wind turbines to take advantage of lower wind speeds at scale.

Since late 2022, Masdar has been part owned by three state-controlled entities in Abu Dhabi: a 24 percent stake by state oil company ADNOC; TAQA, a utility, with 43 percent; and 33 percent by Mubadala, a sovereign wealth fund.

“The UAE wind programme is a great source of national pride and a demonstration of Masdar’s ability to pioneer and implement innovations in wind and renewable energy technologies,” Al Jaber said, as reported by The National. “For a viable energy transition, the world must triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement goals. As we look forward to hosting Cop28, today’s inauguration shows the UAE’s firm commitment to this target, boosting clean energy investments both at home and abroad.”

The pioneering wind energy project by Masdar, along with GoldWind International and PowerChina, will have turbines on Abu Dhabi’s Delma Island, Sir Bani Yas Island and in Al Sila, along with Al Halah in Fujairah, The Economic Times reported.

Masdar launched the first Middle East concentrated solar power plant ten years ago and now has more than 20 gigawatts in renewable energy projects. The firm’s goal is to have a minimum of 100 total gigawatts by 2030.

In an effort to diversify its mix of energy sources to achieve net zero by 2050, the UAE has plans to invest as much as $54 billion in renewables by 2030.

“Today, the UAE is working on several fronts; nuclear energy, solar energy and now wind,” said Dalal Matar Al Shamsi, a natural resources specialist in the Department of Geology at United Arab Emirates University, as reported by Reuters. “So if we took all of this into consideration, we expect promising results by 2071, the UAE’s centennial.”