Egypt operates 25 underground solar wells in New Valley

CAIRO – 12 August 2018: Head of Administrative Control Authority Mohamed Arfan revealed during the inauguration of the New Assiut barrage project, the operation of 25 underground wells to work in solar energy in the city of Dakhla in the New Valley.

Arafan clarified in the presence of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi that the operation of these wells came in the framework of the state to use the clean and renewable energy, to save fuel and thermal energy expenditures.

“It also came in the framework of a program prepared by the Ministry of Irrigation to convert the operation of underground wells using solar energy instead of diesel, the first phase included 161 wells, 48 percent of which were completed,” he stated.

On a different note, Arfan said that the national project to develop Lake Manzala comes in light of the reduction of the area to 250,000 feddans, from 491,000 feddans in 1973, as a result of infringements and low productivity of fish due to pollution and overfishing. Arafan clarified that the development plan is divided into three axes.

The development of the lake works with more than 100 boreholes and water to carry out the completion of aquatic plants and encroachments with a total area of 31 million square meters, and the deepening of the inlets on the international coast road length of 18 kilometers, he said.

He also added that it contains the establishment of a road starting from the borders of Damietta and linking it with the axis of June 30, running 85 kilometer long.

“It is expected that after the development work, the lake's water level, free fishing areas, improvement of water characteristics, and the lake's production of fish will be increased to more than 100,000 tons annually, and the establishment of a security belt, which contributes to the elimination of infringements,” Arfan clarified.

Lake Manzala is located on northeastern Egypt on the Nile Delta near Port Said and a few miles from the ancient ruins at Tanis. It is the largest of the northern deltaic lakes of Egypt.