(Ecofin Agency) – Fully committed to the energy transition, Egypt is home to several renewable projects, in particular wind projects valued at several billion dollars. The country is also developing its solar potential thanks to international private investments.
The French energy producer Voltalia and TAQA Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, November 14 with the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity for the repowering of the Zafarana wind complex, with a current capacity of 545 MW. Commissioned gradually since 2000 by the Egyptian government, the latter would soon approach the end of its life.
The 2 partner companies will carry out preliminary technical and environmental studies with a view to building a fully integrated green power plant in Zafarana. The plant will combine 1.1 GW of wind power and 2.1 GW of solar power, making it “ the 1is project in Egypt to combine these 2 renewable energy sources. »
« The signing of this agreement is a crucial step in supporting Egypt’s ambitious renewable energy goals, and we are honored to work on this historic project. Our presence in Egypt, thanks to our operating project within the Benban solar complex, and our experience in hybrid wind and solar projects, such as in our Serra Branca complex in Brazil, allow us to build on the heritage of Zafarana with confidence to bring more clean energy to the Egyptian grid », commented Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia.
In its energy transition process, Egypt is particularly banking on its immense wind potential, Zafarana being one of the windiest sites in the entire Middle East and North Africa region. The country holds around 21% of the total installed wind capacity on the African continent, according to the report.Solar and wind fuel energy security in Africa’s green transition» from the international research group ZeroCarbon Analytics.
Abdullah Diop
Business
