A consortium comprising ENGIE, Orascom Construction, and Toyota Tsusho has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) and the New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) to develop a 3GW wind farm in Egypt.
Under the terms of the MoU, the consortium will build, own, and operate the project.
Previously, the consortium completed the 262.5MW Ras Ghareb wind farm in Egypt, which is said to be the country’s first renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) project of its kind and size.
Besides, the partnership recently broke ground on a 500MW wind farm, situated on the shores of the Gulf of Suez, 40km north-west of Ras Ghareb in Egypt.
The 500MW project is expected to produce renewable energy sufficient enough to power over 800,000 Egyptian households, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 1,000,000 tons annually.
ENGIE senior executive vice president, Paulo Almirante, who is in charge of renewables, energy management and nuclear activities, said: “This agreement with the Egyptian authorities for a 3 GW wind farm is based on our local long-term partnerships, and on our consortium’s ability to deliver and operate the first Ras Ghareb wind farm.”
The new wind farm along with the consortium’s earlier projects are said to contribute to the country’s decarbonisation efforts.
In addition, the projects will also support Egypt’s country’s renewable power goals of producing 42% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Orascom Construction CEO Osama Bishai said: “We have created through the success of our two other wind farms and this new project a wind energy investment platform in Egypt.
“Today, we are pleased to extend our long-term partnership with ENGIE and Toyota Tsusho, and we are proud to have set the stage for the development and the transformation of Egypt’s renewable energy sector. This MOU allows the consortium to take initial valuable steps into the development of the project.”
In a separate development, UAE-based Masdar, Infinity Power, and Hassan Allam Utilities have signed a MoU to build a 10GW onshore wind project in Egypt.
