The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development has issued a report on the renewable energy sector’s situation in fiscal years (FY) 2018/19 and 2019/20.
Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, indicated that 416 projects have been established in the electricity and renewable energy sector, with a total investment cost estimated at EGP 95.6bn, of which 194 projects, worth EGP 33.6bn, were completed at the end of FY 2019/20.
On the geographical distribution of these projects, El-Said pointed out that Cairo came at the top in terms of the number of projects, with about 60 projects worth EGP 7.5bn, followed by Aswan with 36 projects with investment cost of EGP 3.7bn, and then Assiut with 23 projects worth EGP 9.2bn, and the Red Sea governorate with 22 projects worth EGP 9.1bn.
El-Said added that Upper Egypt and the border governorates accounted for 37% of electricity sector projects during the past two years, at a total investment cost estimated at EGP 33.8bn. A total 118 projects were implemented in Upper Egypt governorates at a cost of about EGP 19bn, and 35 others were launched in border governorates for EGP 14.8bn.
Other governorates’ share came as follows: 21 projects in Alexandria worth EGP 1.4bn, 16 projects in Beheira worth EGP 3.5bn, 13 projects in Giza worth EGP 8.1bn, 13 projects in Sohag worth EGP 4bn, 10 projects in Damietta worth EGP 4.2bn, and 9 projects in Beni Suef worth EGP 1.6bn. A total of 34 energy projects involved more than one governorate with an investment cost of EGP 33.4bn.
According to the report, the most prominent energy project in the mentioned period was the South Helwan Steam Power Station with a capacity of 1,950 MW. The Ministry also referred to some power plants which were converted from single-cycle to combined-cycle power generation, including the West Damietta 2 Gas Power Plant increasing its capacity to 750 MW, the West Assiut Power Plant boosting its capacity to 1,500 MW, and the 6th of October Gas Power plant adding 340 MW.
Other major renewable energy projects also included the 32 photovoltaic solar power stations in Benban, Aswan, with a total capacity of 1,465 MW; the photovoltaic cell station in Kom Ombo, with a capacity of 26 MW, the wind farms of Jabal Al-Zeit 1, 2, and 3, with a total capacity 380 MW in the Red Sea governorate, and the Gulf of Suez Wind Farm, with a capacity of 250 MW.
