Saudi ACWA Power Signs $190 Mln Worth Solar Projects in Egypt

Saudi ACWA Power inked contracts worth 190 million dollars to generate solar power in Egypt.(ACWA Power's Twitter)
Saudi ACWA Power inked contracts worth 190 million dollars to generate solar power in Egypt.(ACWA Power's Twitter)
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Saudi ACWA Power Signs $190 Mln Worth Solar Projects in Egypt

Saudi ACWA Power inked contracts worth 190 million dollars to generate solar power in Egypt.(ACWA Power's Twitter)
Saudi ACWA Power inked contracts worth 190 million dollars to generate solar power in Egypt.(ACWA Power's Twitter)

Saudi ACWA Power inked on Tuesday contracts worth 190 million dollars to generate solar power in Egypt, announced the company.

ACWA Power has secured three solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant contracts in Egypt.

Located in Benban’s Aswan province, the PV power plants will boast an aggregate capacity of 165.5MWp, and will be developed at a total investment value of approximately $190 million (SAR712.5m).

"The Benban projects are significant for being ACWA Power’s first investment in the country and we are confident that we will have many more opportunities to partner with the Ministry of Electricity in its pursuit of energy security,” he said.

Hosted by the Government of Egypt, the power purchase agreement (PPA) was attended by Engineer Gamal Abd-Al Rehem, chairman of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), and Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman of ACWA Power, as well as other dignitaries.

The deal, which was awarded under Round 2 of the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) program, will see the Saudi Arabia-based company develop, finance, build, own and operate the plants.

ACWA’s projects are in keeping with the Government of Egypt and Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy’s (MoERE) target to achieve 20 percent of its energy generation from renewable sources by 2022. The FiT program aims to secure an initial generation of 2,000MW of solar capacity and 2,000MW of wind capacity.

ACWA Power is a developer, investor, co-owner and operator of a portfolio of power generation and desalinated water production plants currently with presence in 11 countries including in the Middle East and North Africa, Southern Africa and South East Asia regions.

Following the signing of the agreement, ACWA Power said that it expects to begin construction in the final quarter of this year. These will be the first projects that the company has developed in Egypt, and it is working with Egyptian companies Tawakol and Hassan Allam Holding to deliver them.

Once they begin operations next year, the plants will be expected to provide enough power for 80,000 homes, saving around 156,000 tons of CO2 per year when compared with conventional sources.



US, China Reach Deal to Cut Trade Deficit, US Officials Say

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
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US, China Reach Deal to Cut Trade Deficit, US Officials Say

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday reported "substantial progress" in US talks with China's top economic officials to de-escalate a damaging trade war, but offered no details of an agreement reached as two days of negotiations wrapped up in Geneva.
Bessent told reporters that details would be announced on Monday and that US President Donald Trump was fully aware of the results of the "productive talks."
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who participated in the talks with Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and two Chinese vice ministers, described the conclusion as "a deal we struck with our Chinese partners" that will help reduce the $1.2 trillion US global goods trade deficit.
"And this was, as the Secretary pointed out, a very constructive two days. It's important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought," Greer said, adding that the Chinese officials were "tough negotiators"
The meeting was the first face-to-face interaction between Bessent, Greer and He since the world's two largest economies imposed tariffs well above 100% on each other's goods.
Although Bessent has said the bilateral tariffs were too high and needed to come down in a de-escalation move, he did not offer any details of reductions agreed and took no questions from reporters, Reuters said.
Earlier, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the Chinese were "very, very eager" to engage in discussions and rebalance trade relations with the United States.
Hassett also told Fox News that more foreign trade deals could be coming with other countries as soon as this week.
Overnight, Trump gave a positive reading of the talks, saying the two sides had negotiated "a total reset... in a friendly, but constructive, manner."
"A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"We want to see, for the good of both China and the US, an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!," Trump added, without elaborating on the progress.
Speaking on "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, Hassett said Beijing is eager to re-set trade relations with the United States.
"It looks like the Chinese are very, very eager to play ball and to re-normalize things," Hassett said.
Hassett also said more trade deal announcements could be imminent following last week's announcement of an agreement with the United Kingdom. He said he had been briefed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on two dozen pending deals in development with USTR Greer.
"They all look a little bit like the UK deal but each one is bespoke," Hassett said.
GATED VILLA
The negotiating teams met at the gated villa of Switzerland's UN ambassador, overlooking Lake Geneva in the leafy suburb of Cologny. Black Mercedes vans with sirens shuttled to and from the venue, which was bathed in bright sunshine.
Neutral Switzerland was chosen as the venue following approaches by Swiss politicians on recent visits to China and the United States.
Washington is seeking to reduce its $295 billion goods trade deficit with Beijing and persuade China to renounce what the United States says is a mercantilist economic model and contribute more to global consumption, a shift that would require politically sensitive domestic reforms.