An existing 545 MW wind farm in Egypt will be converted into a 3 GW solar-plus-wind project.
The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium of Voltalia and Taqa Arabia to facilitate the repowering of the Zafarana wind farm, 130 km southeast of Cairo.
The plan will combine 2.1 GW of solar energy with 1.1 GW of wind energy, making it the first project in Egypt to merge both renewable energy sources.
Voltalia and Taqa Arabia say they have jointly developed a modern hybrid renewable energy solution to maximize land use on existing Zafarana plots, with an expected first commissioning in 2028.
The partners will first carry out preparatory technical and environmental measurements and studies. A statement from Voltalia said the main surveys will include wind speed and direction measurements, bird migration patterns, solar radiation levels and geotechnical, topographical and ecological assessments.
The MoU was signed on Thursday, along with a second agreement between EETC and Dubai-based independent investor Alcazar Energy Partners for a further 2 GW of wind power.
The two agreements support Egypt’s National Integrated and Sustainable Energy Strategy, which aims to increase the country’s share of renewable energy in the national energy mix to 42% by 2030 and more than 60% by 2040.
In September, Norwegian developer Scatec unveiled plans for Egypt’s first hybrid solar-plus-battery project, followed shortly by Dubai-based developer Amea Power’s plans to build 1 GW of solar and 900 MWh of storage about two projects in the country.
The same month, Singapore-headquartered EliTe Solar announced it had become a 8 GW production center in Egypt.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content
