Inauguration of Egypt's $500m solar plant to curb outages
On Saturday, in the city of Aswan, Egypt, a solar power plant valued at $500 million was inaugurated. This is part of efforts to increase renewable energy production after last year's significant power outages, the country's authorities announced.
The Abydos solar power plant, created by the Dubai-based energy company AMEA Power, has a capacity of 500 megawatts and was completed in just 18 months. It is expected to generate 1,500 gigawatt hours of clean energy annually, which is sufficient to power approximately 300,000 households while reducing CO2 emissions by 782,300 tonnes, Al Arabiya reports.
Egypt invests in solar energy. "New strategy"
During the power plant's opening ceremony, Egypt's Prime Minister, Moustafa Madbouly, emphasised that this project is a "key step in increasing the use of renewable energy in Egypt" and is part of the "national strategy aimed at reducing dependence on traditional energy sources."
He also added that this project supports the government's efforts to curb summer power outages, which have become frequent during periods of high electricity demand.
The project is funded, among other sources, by the Dutch Development Bank (FMO) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Power China is the main contractor.
Work on the power plant site began in March 2023. At the peak of construction, 3,500 people were working on-site. The power plant covers an area of 10 square kilometres and includes over one million solar panels, 1920 inverters, and 64 transformer stations. The two main transformers, the largest of their kind in Africa and the Middle East, have a capacity of 300 megawatts each and weigh approximately 255 tonnes.
Egypt at risk of blackout
Last summer, Egypt struggled with daily power outages lasting up to three hours, caused by high demand for cooling during heatwaves. AMEA Power Chairman Hussain Al Nowais noted that the plant will accelerate the implementation of Egypt's green energy strategy and help address the energy shortages that occurred last year. The first electricity from the plant was delivered to the national power grid last week.
AMEA Power is a Dubai-based energy company specialising in renewable energy projects like solar and wind power plants. The company dedicates itself to developing and operating energy projects worldwide, aiming to increase access to clean and sustainable energy.
