Atkins-designed Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC) has announced the official certification of the building’s wind turbines by Bahrain’s Electricity Distribution Directorate (EDD).

The turbines were inaugurated April 2008, undergoing daily safety and regulatory testing, and were commissioned to mark Bahrain’s National Day in December 2008.

Bahrain World Trade Centre
Bahrain World Trade Centre

The BWTC’s turbines are said to be the first in the world to be integrated into a large scale commercial development, and are predicted to provide 11-15% of the power needed to operate the offices of the 50 storey twin towers.

Peter Longstaff, Atkins’ senior project manager, said: “The official certification from the EDD means that the turbines have passed their health and safety and quality inspections, so they are now fully operational and are supplying power to the development.”

The BWTC was recently named “Best Tall Building” in the Middle East and Africa region for 2008 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).