Renewable energies: Egypt’s capacity hits 6,000 MW

It’s official! The renewable energy has reached a capacity of 6,000 MW in Egypt, according to Mohamed el-Khayat, Executive Chairman of the New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA).

The North African nation reached the target, a year before the government deadline to add 20% renewable energy in the country’s electricity mix.

Of the 6,000 MW announced, 2,000 MW is produced from solar and wind energy. The remaining two thirds are mainly produced from hydroelectricity.

The Global Wind Report 2018 shows that Egypt installed 380 MW of wind capacity in the past year.

Among the major renewable energy projects underway in Egypt is the Benban solar complex, which is scheduled to come on stream in October 2019.

According to el-Khayat, the growth is attributed to recent policies and independent power producers (IPPs) who are currently joining the sector and signing power purchase agreements with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC).

The government is in the process of finalizing regulations about the production and sale of electricity from new private renewable power projects directly to consumers by September 2019.

A significant point in the new rules is that no company would be allowed to monopolize the production or sale of electricity and direct tariff negotiation with consumers. The new laws are set to open the market to the private sector, encouraging healthy competition.