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The government has signed numerous renewable project agreements with regional and international companies in recent years Egypt is rapidly advancing its wind energy sector, with numerous projects underway to diversify its energy mix and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The latest addition is a 500MW wind farm in the Gulf of Suez. The agreement to develop the project was signed by Mona Rizk, chairperson of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company and Ayman Saad, CEO of Siemens Gamesa in Egypt last week. Also present at the signing ceremony was Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat. A cabinet statement said Siemens Gamesa would build, finance and operate the wind farm under the agreement. This project aligns with Egypt’s goal of sourcing 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. State media reported that Egypt has been self-sufficient in electricity since June 2015 and currently maintains an electricity surplus of over 25%. The Egyptian government has signed numerous renewable project agreements with regional and international companies in recent years. Wind projects in Egypt Red Sea Wind Energy Project: A consortium led by ENGIE is constructing the Red Sea Wind Energy installation, which will become one of Africa’s largest onshore wind farms. Initially planned at 500MW, the project received approval for a 150MW expansion, bringing its total capacity to 650MW. The wind farm is expected to generate renewable energy capable of powering more than a million homes and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 1.3 million tons annually. 10GW wind farm: ACWA Power was granted land to develop a 10GW wind power plant. Once completed, this facility is projected to save the Egyptian economy approximately $6.5 billion annually in natural gas costs and significantly reduce carbon emissions.Gulf of Suez II Wind Farm: Toyota Tsusho Corporation, in collaboration with Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation, is expanding the Gulf of Suez II wind farm by 150MW, aiming to build one of Africa’s largest 654MW wind power facility. 252MW Gulf of Suez Wind Power Plant: Featuring 70 Vestas V105-3.6 MW turbines, this wind farm is located approximately 25km south of Ras Ghareb. It produces around 1,200GWh of green electricity annually, supplying energy to about 400,000 households and reducing CO2 emissions by 500,000 tons each year.Despite increasing its electricity output through traditional and renewable energy sources, Egypt implemented daily power cuts the past two summers as record temperatures meant an increase in air conditioners being used. Last June, at the height of the Egyptian summer – where temperatures reached in excess of 40°C for Cairo and 45°C for regions in the South – electricity consumption reached a peak of 36GW a day. Egypt imported mazut and natural gas shipments valued at around $1.18 billion to stop nationwide power cuts from the third week of July until the end of the country’s summer, which is August. In addition to increased electricity demand, the government attributed the power outages in Egypt to a lack of natural gas needed to operate electric power stations. |
