ACWA Power has signed a memorandum of understanding with the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) to allocate land for a hugely significant 10 GW wind project in Egypt.
Egypt has adopted an ambitious programme to advance the electricity sector in various fields, which includes maximising the utilisation of new and renewable energy resources, encouraging investment in these fields to enable energy independence from fossil fuels, continuing to reduce carbon emissions, and an aim of increasing renewable energy capacity in the energy mix to 42% by 2035. This focus also aligns with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the National Climate Strategy 2050 with a view to mitigating the impact of climate change challenges and achieving sustainable economic growth.
The MoU allocates approximately 3000 square km of land west of Sohag, an urban centre, for the project, which is expected to generate around 50 000 GWh of clean energy annually, providing electricity to around 11 million households and mitigating the impact of 25.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
The 10 GW plant is expected to provide the Egyptian economy with US$6.5 billion savings in annual natural gas costs, in addition to creating up to 120 000 job opportunities in addition to adding about 2500 jobs for the operation and maintenance phase after completion.
ACWA Power has three other facilities in Egypt, that are either in operation, under construction or in advanced development, including a 120 MW solar PV project in Benban, a 200 MW solar PV facility in Kom Ombo, and the 1.1 GW Suez Wind Energy project.
Image: ACWA Power has signed MoU with Egypt's NREA to secure land for a 10GW onshore wind project in Egypt (courtesy of ACWA Power)
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