Saudi-listed ACWA Power, a private water desalination company and the first mover into green hydrogen, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) to allocate land for a 10 GW wind project in Egypt.
The 10 GW wind power plant is expected to provide the Egyptian economy with $6.5 billion savings in annual natural gas costs, in addition to creating up to 120,000 job opportunities; in direct employment in the construction phase is estimated at 45,000 people, and around 75 thousand people indirectly, in addition to adding about 2,500 jobs for the operation and maintenance phase after the completion.
The MoU allocates approximately 3,000 square kilometers of land west of Sohag, an urban center, for the project. The wind project is expected to generate around 50 thousand gigawatt-hours of clean energy annually, providing electricity to around 11 million households and mitigating the impact of 25.5 million tons of carbon emissions each year.
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. The company has had a presence in Egypt since 2015.
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Shaker Al-Marqabi, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy in Egypt, commented: “Egypt has adopted an ambitious program to advance the electricity sector in various fields, which includes maximizing the utilization of new and renewable energy resources, encouraging investment in these fields to enable energy independence from fossil fuels, continuing to reduce carbon emissions, and increasing renewable energy capacity in the energy mix up 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. This project is also an extension of the historical relations between the Egyptian state and the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reflects the bonds of fruitful and constructive cooperation between the two countries. We foresee that the positive contributions with financing institutions and development partners, as well as the comparative advantages of Egypt in terms of the availability of land, will show that Egypt has what it takes to produce renewable energy for domestic consumption and export.”
Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power, added: “Today’s signing furthers our commitment to driving sustainable development and powering Egypt’s future with clean, reliable, and renewable energy. We are determined to harness the vast potential of wind power, creating jobs, reducing emissions, and ensuring a greener and brighter future for Egypt, in alignment with ACWA Power’s vision for a sustainable planet.”
The agreement was signed at the headquarters of the Council of Ministers in the new city of El Alamein, between Dr. Mohamed El Khayat, Chairman of NREA, and Eng. Hassan Amin, Country Director – Egypt, ACWA Power. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the H.E. Dr. Moustafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt; H.E. Dr. Mohamed Shaker, the Egyptian Minister of Electricity; Mr. Mazyad bin Muhammad Al-Huwaishan, Consul General of Saudi Arabia in Alexandria, Eng. Sabah Mashaly, Chairman of EETC; and Marco Arcelli, CEO, ACWA Power. This MoU marks the next step in the development of this large-scale renewable energy facility.