Location Mount Bnei Rasan Commission date 1992 Avg. site elevation 1,050 m (3,445 ft) Owner Mey Eden | Status Operational Type Onshore Make and model Floda 600 | |
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The Golan Heights Wind Farm is an Israeli wind farm located 1050 m above sea level on Mount Bnei Rasan 5 km south of Quneitra in the Golan Heights.
Contents
History
The wind farm was built in 1992 by the Mey Eden (Waters of Eden) mineral water company, supported by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. It was Israel's first wind farm and the first commercial wind-power project in the Middle East. Installation commenced after an extensive wind resource assessment carried out in 20 sites in the Golan Heights for about three years.
The farm operates 10 Floda 600 wind turbines generating 6 MW in total. The energy is consumed by the Mey Eden plant, the Golan Heights Winery and about 20,000 people. The remaining energy is fed into the electrical grid.
Development plans
Mey Golan was granted a license to build a $500 million and 400 MW wind farm. The project consists of about 150 turbines over an area of 140 km2 in the northeastern Golan Heights, from the Druze village Majdal Shams to moshav Alonei HaBashan. The partnership between Mey Golan and US energy giant AES Corporation is worth $600 million.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry a number of wind farms are planned in the Galilee, the Arava and the Negev. Towards this end, work is being done to identify wind-intensive sites and set up licensing assistance to wind farm developers.