Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with a global consortium comprising GE and Spain’s TSK to build the first large-scale wind farm in Oman and the GCC.

The Dhofar Wind Power Project is a result of the joint development agreement that was established in 2014 between Masdar and the Rural Areas Electricity Company of Oman (Raeco), reported Wam, the UAE’s official news agency.

Funding for the wind farm is provided by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).

The 50-MW wind farm takes its name from the southern Omani governorate bordering Yemen, and will electrify an estimated 16,000 homes and offset 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

GE will lead the EPC consortium, and will provide the project’s 13 wind turbines powered by the company’s latest 3.8-MW wind turbine generator solution. Built upon the technology of its predecessors, the turbine represents the latest development in GE’s wind turbine platform, increasing both annual energy production and flexibility in operation. TSK will support the consortium partners with the construction of the balance of plant.

For Masdar, this is yet another milestone in the field of wind energy after having developed the 117-MW Tafila wind farm in Jordan, the Middle East’s first utility-scale wind power project.