The Egyptian Electricity Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Authority (EEUCPRA) granted 56 new and renewable energy temporary licenses to set up plants to produce solar and wind power, according to the feed-in tariff system.
Director of Licensing and Performance Evaluation at EEUCPRA, Salma Hussein, said that all applicants’ companies were granted approvals as they met all conditions and controls. Companies that obtained approvals include Cairo Solar, Orascom, Lekela Power, Phoenix, Nubian Energy, and Enel Energy.
These companies have paid EGP 25,000 to EEUCPRA in fees for their application and EGP 10,000 after receiving approvals. The total capacity targeted from the feed-in tariff system stands at 4,300 MW, including 2,300 MW of solar power plants, and 2,000 MW of wind projects.
Hussein said after receiving approval, the companies will begin studying how to link the stations to the national electricity grid, obtain further licenses, finalise the study of environmental impact, and sign contracts of land allocation with the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), as well as electricity purchase agreements to obtain permanent licences.
Nominated companies will pay further fees for topographical studies and 2% of the land value at signing the land contract. These fees differ from one company to another according to the type of project and its size.
Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy has established a strategy to boost renewable energy to 20% of total produced energy by 2020, by establishing solar and wind plants. Private sector accounts for 67% of the establishment of these projects.
