Saudi Arabia to Produce 10GW of Wind Energy in Egypt

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Egyptian Electricity Minister Mohammad Shaker oversee the signing of an agreement to generate electricity with wind energy on Tuesday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Egyptian Electricity Minister Mohammad Shaker oversee the signing of an agreement to generate electricity with wind energy on Tuesday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Saudi Arabia to Produce 10GW of Wind Energy in Egypt

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Egyptian Electricity Minister Mohammad Shaker oversee the signing of an agreement to generate electricity with wind energy on Tuesday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Egyptian Electricity Minister Mohammad Shaker oversee the signing of an agreement to generate electricity with wind energy on Tuesday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of a 10 gigawatt wind electric power project in Egypt.

The MoU was signed between Saudi ACWA power company and Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz held a meeting in Riyadh with Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohammad Shaker.

SPA said that the two ministers discussed the progress of the electricity interconnection project between the two countries.

They also reviewed ongoing preparations for a memorandum of understanding in the fields of electricity, renewable energy and clean hydrogen, and the means to strengthen cooperation between specialized companies in both countries.

Following the meeting, the two ministers oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the NREA, the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, and the Saudi ACWA Power, to implement a project to generate electricity from wind energy with a capacity of 10 GW in Egypt.

The Egyptian Cabinet announced late last month the intention of the Saudi company, ACWA Power, to implement a huge project to generate electricity from wind energy. It noted that this project comes within the framework of cooperation projects between Riyadh and Cairo.



Will Escalation Stop Israeli Gas Production?

File photo of the Israeli Leviathan field (Reuters)
File photo of the Israeli Leviathan field (Reuters)
TT

Will Escalation Stop Israeli Gas Production?

File photo of the Israeli Leviathan field (Reuters)
File photo of the Israeli Leviathan field (Reuters)

The American energy giant Chevron, which operates the Leviathan field off the Mediterranean coast of Israel, has decided to suspend work on laying an underwater pipeline, part of its third pipeline project, due to the escalating conflict and fears of potential missile strikes. This follows the earlier closure of the Tamar and Leviathan gas platforms as a “precautionary measure” during the Iranian attack on Israel on Oct. 1.

These developments came as the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Leviathan field, located 130 kilometers off the coast of Haifa, was the target of a missile barrage fired by Hezbollah on Wednesday morning at Mount Carmel and Haifa. Chevron subsequently activated “special procedures,” stating that it was dealing with an operational incident on the drilling platform.

During last week’s Iranian missile attack, Yedioth Ahronoth noted that NewMed Energy, a partner in the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields (the latter located about 19 kilometers off the Gaza Strip coast), informed the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange of Chevron’s decision to temporarily shut down the Leviathan field for several hours.

“In light of the latest security developments and based on the system’s operational considerations, the operator occasionally halts production from the Leviathan reservoir for certain periods,” NewMed Energy, which holds a 45.3% stake in Leviathan, stated to the stock exchange.

Chevron holds a 39.6% stake in Leviathan, while Ratio Energies owns 15% of the project. Chevron also has a 15% stake in Tamar.

Leviathan’s partners approved a $429 million investment on Aug. 1 to launch the preliminary engineering design phase to increase Leviathan’s gas export capacity from the Mediterranean Sea field to 21 billion cubic meters annually.

NewMed Energy stated that Chevron had informed the partners that plans for laying the underwater pipeline have been postponed until Apr. 2025—initially scheduled to begin in the second half of 2025—due to the deteriorating security situation. The delay is expected to be at least six months, affecting next year’s projected cash flow.

Currently, gas from the platform is transported to the shore and integrated into Israel’s national grid, where it is distributed to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan.

The Leviathan field was discovered in 2010 by NewMed Energy, Chevron (then known as Noble Energy), and Ratio. Natural gas production from Leviathan began on December 31, 2019, and since then, it has become a key source of gas for Israel, Egypt, and Jordan.

The third pipeline project was initiated by the Leviathan partners in July 2023, aimed at boosting Leviathan’s annual production capacity from 12 billion cubic meters to around 21 billion cubic meters. This increase is intended to meet growing local demand and export to neighboring countries and international markets, according to NewMed Energy.

Israel continues to export gas through pipelines from Leviathan and Tamar to Jordan and Egypt. Israeli exports to Egypt rose from 4.9 billion cubic meters in 2022 to 6.3 billion cubic meters in 2023, while sales to Jordan remained steady year-on-year at 2.7 billion cubic meters. In the second quarter of this year, Leviathan’s total gas production reached 2.8 billion cubic meters, with exports to Egypt rising by 12.5% to 1.8 billion cubic meters during the same period, while 0.6 billion cubic meters flowed to Jordan, according to Energy Intelligence.

Goldman Sachs estimates that the potential global market impact of disruptions at Leviathan and Tamar could reduce global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply by nearly 9 billion cubic meters annually, or 1.7% of global LNG supplies, according to a report by Energy Intelligence.