‘Climate-adapted' turbines for PDO wind farms
MUSCAT, MAY 19
Chinese multinational wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind is set to make its debut in Oman's sizable wind energy space with a contract to supply wind turbines for a pair of wind farms with a combined capacity of 234 MW.
The partnership of Omani state-owned OQ Alternative Energy (OQAE) [with a 51 per cent shareholding] and French integrated multi-energy group TotalEnergies (49 per cent) is developing the two wind farms in the southern part of the Block 6 concession of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), currently the largest producer of hydrocarbons in Oman. Output from the two wind farms, dubbed Riyah-1 and Riyah-2, will be supplied to PDO under long-term power purchase agreements.
Agreements green-lighting the start of work on these wind farms, among other initiatives, were signed last week. PowerChina Huadong Engineering (PowerChina) was named the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor.
For Beijing-headquartered Goldwind, which was ranked the largest supplier of wind turbines to the global market in 2024, the Oman contracts represent a further expansion into the lucrative Middle East market.
'We are honoured to announce that Goldwind, as the wind turbine supplier for the 234 MW Riyah 1&2 wind projects, is partnering with OQ Alternative Energy (OQAE) and TotalEnergies to deliver Oman's largest wind power initiative—marking a historic step in the nation's decarbonization journey. It also represents Goldwind's entry into its global market, reinforcing our commitment to worldwide sustainable energy solutions,' the Chinese firm stated in a post.
According to Goldwind, the two wind farms will be equipped with the company's 'climate-adapted turbines' designed to displace 740,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, which is equivalent to removing 160,000 cars from roads.
'These projects will supply green electricity to the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) electricity transmission network through long- term power purchase agreements. This represents a pioneering model of integrating renewable energy into the traditional fossil fuel sector, demonstrating Oman's strong commitment to decarbonizing its oil and gas sector,' it noted.
Ranked among the Top 5 wind turbine manufacturers in China, Goldwind is credited with delivering more than 53,000 wind turbines worldwide as of the end of Q3 2024, boasting a global cumulative installed capacity exceeding 128GW.
According to the Global Wind Energy Council's (GWEC) annual Supply Side Data report, Goldwind remained the world's leading turbine supplier, installing more than 20 GW in 2024 – a new record. As of the end of Q1 2025, the company's total order backlog was 51.09GW, which includes 48.6 GW of external orders.
Oman, with a requirement of hundreds of wind turbines to meet its target of securing at least 30 per cent of its energy needs from renewables, represents a key market for manufacturers like Goldwind. Additionally, an estimated 2,000 wind turbines will also be required to support Oman's green hydrogen productions targets by 2030.
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