African focused renewable energy company, Lekela, announced on Monday that its 250 MW West Bakr Wind Farm in Egypt has reached commercial operations. The wind project achieved this feat despite the setbacks of the pandemic, less than two years after construction commenced on site in February 2020.
The renewable energy facility has 96 turbines installed by Siemens Gamesa, and will produce over 1000 GWh of renewable electricity every year. The wind farm will prevent more than 530,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. On its own, West Bakr Wind Farm will increase Egypt’s wind power capacity by 18%.
Chris Antonopoulos, Chief Executive Officer at Lekela said, “Reaching commercial operation of West Bakr Wind farm is a huge achievement. With the construction being carried out almost entirely during the pandemic, it proves that sources of clean, reliable energy can be constructed even during the most challenging conditions. We want to thank our partners and contractors, in particular Siemens Gamesa, for their work on the project.
The project is part of the Egyptian government’s Build, Own Operate (BOO) scheme, a key element of the government’s ambitious aim to generate 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022. It has also been made possible by financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation and the United States’ Development Finance Corporation.
“The wind farm will help push Egypt closer to its renewable energy targets and provide a significant uplift to Egypt’s wind power capacity. At a time when global attention is on the climate crisis, and what businesses and governments can do to solve it, this project shows that the future of energy in Africa must be renewable,” added Chris Antonopoulos, Chief Executive Officer at Lekela.
Social and environmental impact of the West Bakr Wind Farm
According to Lekela, they are currently developing the next stage of a sustainable community plan for nearby Ras Ghareb. The company is supporting the local community through a number of socio-economic initiatives. These include its Women Empowerment Programme, which is focusing on skills development for women in Ras Ghareb including a Female Engineering Apprenticeship Programme specifically aimed at increasing female participation in the renewables sector in Egypt.
To protect the Gulf of Suez’s rich biodiversity, Lekela developed a ‘shut down on demand’ programme to protect migrating birds. The company signed a protocol with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and its Migratory Soaring Birds project to contribute towards the funding and implementation of the Migratory Birds Monitoring training programme.
Lekela will also invest in consultancy services and training equipment, and has already sponsored trainees from nearby Ras Ghareb, creating sustainable jobs for the community and supporting the local ecosystem.
“Providing this power is just one part of our work. The local community of Ras Ghareb has been incredibly important to the success of the project so far. We’re looking forward to continuing and growing our community investment programme, with lots more in store as we move into this next stage of the project,” Faisal Eissa, General Manager for Lekela Egypt said.
