Abu Dhabi-based energy company Masdar, together with Infinity Power and Hassan Allam Utilities, have this week signed an agreement with Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority in the capital Cairo, to build Africa’s largest wind farm 10GW capacity.
The mega wind project is set to be built at an estimated investment of over US$ 10 billion. The wind facility once completed will produce 47,790 GWh of clean energy per year, and reduce around 9 percent of Egypt’s annual carbon emissions, by displacing 23.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Furthermore, the wind farm is expected to help Egypt meet its strategic objective of sourcing 42 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030. The 10 GW plant will save the North African nation an estimated US$ 5 billion in natural gas costs a year.
“Egypt has an ambitious program to advance the Egyptian electricity sector in various fields, foremost of which is optimizing the use of new and renewable energy resources and encouraging investment in this field, which would contribute to reducing dependence on fossil fuels and continue to reduce carbon emissions,” said Mohamed Shaker Al-Markabi, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy in Egypt.
“In addition, Egypt has comparative advantages in terms of the land available which is necessary to produce a huge volume of electricity from renewable resources. Furthermore, Egypt’s geographical location enables it to export green energy to Europe, especially as the country looks to further enhance and raise the efficiency of its national grid,” he adds.
Commenting on the project agreement signing, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Masdar, said: “This mega project – which will transform lives and livelihoods – is the culmination of hard work, dedication, and steadfast partnership between Masdar, our joint venture – Infinity Power – and Hassan Allam Utilities.”
Masdar renewables drive in Africa
Egypt is the Middle East and North Africa’s most populous country and has an abundance of renewable energy sources, including wind and solar. Masdar has a large presence in Egypt with projects dating back to 2015, which represents a starting point to target the African continent through the Infinity Power platform.
During COP27 last year, Masdar, Infinity Power and Hassan Allam Utilities also signed agreements with Egyptian state-backed organisations to develop green hydrogen and derivatives’ production facilities. The consortium is targeting a capacity of 4 GW by 2030, and an output of up to 480,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
In March, Masdar became the largest operator of renewables in Africa after its joint venture with Egypt’s Infinity – Infinity Power – acquired Lekela Power, a renewables developer with operations across the continent. The UAE based company also signed deals to develop renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of up to 5 GW in Angola, Uganda, and Zambia, in January.
