Saudi Arabia on Thursday awarded a contract to build a $500 million wind farm, a first for the world's top oil exporter as it pushes to diversify its energy sector. A consortium led by France's EDF and Abu Dhabi's Masdar won the bid for the 400-megawatt Dumat al-Jandal wind project in the northern Al Jouf province, the Saudi energy ministry said. "The project will be Saudi Arabia's first utility-scale wind farm," the ministry said. "This milestone represents another significant step... towards creating a diversified power sector mix." The project will generate power to supply up to 70,000 Saudi households, it added.