Share of renewable energy in total power generated in Egypt to remain the same in 2020

CAIRO – 11 May 2020: The share of renewable energy in the total amount of power generated in Egypt annually is speculated to remain the same in 2020 compared to 2019.

Chairman of New and Renewable Energy Mohamed al-Khayat told Egypt Today that the amount expected to be generated of such type of energy by the end of 2020 is 6,000 megawatts.

The breakdown is 1,465 megawatts of solar energy generated in Aswan's Benban Solar Station, 580 megawatts of wind energy generated in Hurghada's Gabal al-Zeit Wind Farm, 250 megawatts of wind energy generated in other wind farms, and 3,000 megawatts of hydropower.

The total amount of renewable energy generated on grid until present is 5,800 megawatts. It is planned that the share of renewable energy in the total amount of energy generated becomes 20 percent in 2022 and 42 percent in 2035.

In 2019, the amount of renewable energy generated rose by 2,000 megawatts to record 6,000 megawatts composing 11 percent of the 55,000 megawatts generated in Egypt annually.

With a total of 300 wind turbines at a total cost of LE 12 billion ($670.64 million), the overall capacity of the three phases of Gabal al-Zeit Wind Farm is 580 megawatts. The first completed phase contains 120 turbines with a capacity of 240 megawatts, while the second and third projects will have 110 turbines with a capacity of 220 megawatts and 60 turbines with a capacity of 120 megawatts, respectively. The project was launched in 2015.

Benban solar station includes 32 plants, and is considered the largest solar power project in the world and was funded by the World Bank with a total value of $653 million.

The total value of the project is $2 billion for a total power generation of up to 1600 megawatts. The project is carried out with the participation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a large number of major international companies.