Egypt’s tourist hotspot of Sharm el-Sheikh has plenty of sun, sea and sand. Now the popular resort city is set to get a solar power boost too, with plans for all lighting to come from solar energy.
Sharm el-Sheikh already relies on solar power for 70 percent of its lighting, but the Egyptian government wants to improve this figure even more.
The Governor of South Sinai, Khaled Fouda, has indicated that Sharm el-Sheikh hopes to be fully powered by solar energy within the next three months.
Last week Egypt launched a new power plant generated by solar energy in Siwa in the west of the country.
The move towards alternative energy sources has been a growing trend by the Egyptian government due to an energy shortfall within the country.
Egypt has been facing an energy crisis for years. It aims to build solar power plants and wind energy facilities within the next three years, with a capacity of generating 4,300 megawatts.
Egypt has also signed an agreement with Russia that will assist in the building of a nuclear power plant.
Sharm el-Sheikh will host a major investment summit from 13th-15th March with hopes that there will be investments to help Egypt’s economy.
The government recently said that it expects to start signing deals for solar PV projects at the conference.
Author: Catherine Ellis
Catherine moved to the Middle East from England to try and pick up some Arabic, get to know the culture and explore the wonderful sights the region has to offer. She’s currently living in Jordan but before this was working as a journalist for the BBC in London. She has a BA in Politics with International Studies and it was during her studies that she really grew a passion for the Middle East. She went on to do an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies and since then has visited many countries in the area. Finally, after a few years of living a hectic lifestyle in the UK’s busy capital, and longing to spend more time in the Middle East, she decided to up sticks and come and live here for a while.
