Wind farm in Egyptian desert at Zafarana. (Image via windpowerworks.net)
The Egyptian New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) and Abu Dhabi’s green energy company, Masdar, signed a framework agreement on February 18th for a 200 megawatt wind power plant, slated for Egypt’s eastern coast near Suez.
The project is the first collaborative venture between Egypt and the UAE in the field of renewable energy, noted Aktham Aboul Ela, a senior official at Egypt’s Electricity and Energy Ministry. “The agreement will allow for the construction and start of implementation of the first 200 megawatt wind farm in the country,” Aboul Ela told Reuters.
Egypt already has wind farms at Zafarana and Hurghada on its Red Sea coastline, with an installed capacity of 430 megawatts of wind energy. The area is one of the windiest sites in the Middle East, with average wind speeds of over 9 meters per sec.
The country aims to generate 12% of its power from wind farms out of a total goal of 20% from renewable sources by 2020. It is seeking to attract $110 billion in investments in its energy sector by 2027, according to Reuters.
The agreement with Masdar comes in the context of enhancing UAE-Egyptian relations in all fields, especially in the field of new and renewable energy, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
Masdar is already involved in other wind projects, including the London Array offshore wind farm and a similar project in the Seychelles.
See more about Egypt and wind at:
Egyptian Wind Energy Association
::Reuters
Author: Ira Moskowitz
When his kids were small, Ira would point to litter on the ground and tell them: “That makes me angry!” He still gets angry about pollution, waste and abusive treatment of our world, but is encouraged by the growing awareness of environmental issues and has been following the latest developments in cleantech with great interest. Ira grew up in the green hills of western Massachusetts and moved to Israel in the early 1980s after completing an MA in Middle Eastern Studies. He has worked as a software developer and journalist, and translates works of Hebrew fiction and non-fiction to English. Ira is trying to age gracefully, but refuses to surrender his youthful belief in the potential for change, including a collaborative future for the peoples of the Middle East. To contact Ira, email ira (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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