SWEG Breaks Ground on Wind Facility in Egypt

SWEG, a JV between Egyptian cable company El Sewedy and German steel manufacturer SIAG, held a ceremony to break ground on the creation of a new wind facility in Ain Sukhna on December 3. The new facility has been dubbed the SIAG Elsewedy Towers (S.E.T.).

The facility will manufacture the towers with two additional facilities that will provide turbines and plates to accommodate the increased demand for material inputs for wind energy farms in Egypt. The North African nation is currently the home to the largest wind farm in the MENA region (Middle East, North Africa), the Zaafarana Wind Farm, which is located on the Red Sea.

This new facility will decrease costs incurred from importing materials for the sector, and with Egypt’s location, it is a strategic fit with easy access to Europe, the Middle East, and other countries in North Africa. Currently, Egypt produces 540 MW of wind energy, but that is expected to initially increase to 7,200 MW of renewable energy by 2020 to meet the goals laid out in the country’s master energy plan.

El Sewedy and SIAG jointly own the S.E.T., and expect the start up date to be during Q3 2009.