Egypt, ACWA Power Sign $1.5 Bln Wind Energy Agreement

During the signing of the $1.5 billion wind energy agreement between Egypt and Saudi ACWA Power. (The Egyptian premiership)
During the signing of the $1.5 billion wind energy agreement between Egypt and Saudi ACWA Power. (The Egyptian premiership)
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Egypt, ACWA Power Sign $1.5 Bln Wind Energy Agreement

During the signing of the $1.5 billion wind energy agreement between Egypt and Saudi ACWA Power. (The Egyptian premiership)
During the signing of the $1.5 billion wind energy agreement between Egypt and Saudi ACWA Power. (The Egyptian premiership)

Egypt signed with a consortium led by ACWA Power an agreement for a 1.1-gigawatt wind energy production project in the Gulf of Suez and Gabal El-Zeit regions, with $1.5 billion in investments, the Egyptian cabinet stated Wednesday.

The agreement was signed between the Egyptian New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) and ACWA Power-led consortium that also includes Hassan Allam Utilities.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, Minister Plenipotentiary Abdulrahman bin Salem Al Dahas, Deputy Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Cairo, Group Co-CEO of Hassan Allam Holding Amr Allam, and CIO of ACWA Power Thomas Brostrom.

The agreement was signed by Mohammed Al-Khayyat, the chair of NREA, Mohammed Hamdouche, ACWA’s vice president for business development, Hassan Amin, the director of ACWA Power Egypt, and Dalia Wahba, CEO of Hassan Allam Utilities.

Following the signing, Shaker outlined the upcoming steps of securing project financing and conducting thorough site studies.

He added that the venture is the largest wind energy project in the region and ranks among the top onshore initiatives of its kind globally. Each year it is expected to cut carbon emissions by 2.4 million tons, save about 840,000 tons of fuel, and supply power to a million homes in Egypt.

For his part, Brostrom said the project will incorporate 220-meter-tall wind turbines featuring cutting-edge technology, the tallest in the Suez Gulf region – to maximize power generation while optimizing land usage.



Oil Prices Stable on Monday as Data Offsets Surplus Concerns

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Prices Stable on Monday as Data Offsets Surplus Concerns

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices stabilized on Monday after losses last week as lower-than-expected US inflation data offset investors' concerns about a supply surplus next year.

Brent crude futures were down by 38 cents, or 0.52%, to $72.56 a barrel by 1300 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 34 cents, or 0.49%, to $69.12 per barrel.

Oil prices rose in early trading after data on Friday that showed cooling US inflation helped alleviate investors' concerns after the Federal Reserve interest rate cut last week, IG markets analyst Tony Sycamore said, Reuters reported.

"I think the US Senate passing legislation to end the brief shutdown over the weekend has helped," he added.

But gains were reversed by a stronger US dollar, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo told Reuters.

"With the US dollar changing from weaker to stronger, oil prices have given up earlier gains," he said.

The dollar was hovering around two-year highs on Monday morning, after hitting that milestone on Friday.

Brent futures fell by around 2.1% last week, while WTI futures lost 2.6%, on concerns about global economic growth and oil demand after the US central bank signalled caution over further easing of monetary policy. Research from Asia's top refiner Sinopec pointing to China's oil consumption peaking in 2027 also weighed on prices.

Macquarie analysts projected a growing supply surplus for next year, which will hold Brent prices to an average of $70.50 a barrel, down from this year's average of $79.64, they said in a December report.

Concerns about European supply eased on reports the Druzhba pipeline, which sends Russian and Kazakh oil to Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany, has restarted after halting on Thursday due to technical problems at a Russian pumping station.

US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday urged the European Union to increase US oil and gas imports or face tariffs on the bloc's exports.

Trump also threatened to reassert US control over the Panama Canal on Sunday, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.