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.