Hurghada, Egypt, 09 Nov. - (ANA) - The EU, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the German Development Cooperation jointly with the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy inaugurated the largest windfarm in Africa, 200 Megawatt (MW)—in the area of Gulf of El Zayt in Egypt.
 
The project is part of the Egyptian long-term energy strategy to utilize the enormous renewable energy potentials of Egypt. The total budget of the project amounts to €340 million. The EU has granted a total of €30 Million of the total project's budget.
 
The project’s objective is to address Egypt's energy needs through promoting the use of renewable energy to capitalise on the country's remarkable potentials for wind and solar power generation. The project generates up to 800 GW per year, which is sufficient to supply approx. 500,000 people with electricity and contributes to preventing about 400,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide CO2 emissions per year.

Within the framework of development cooperation in the field of renewable energy, the Federal Republic of Germany through Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) _,
the European Union (EU), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) jointly with the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy will inaugurate tomorrow the largest windfarm in Africa,
200 Megawatt (MW)—in the area of Gulf of El Zayt in Egypt. The project is an integral part of the Egyptian long-term energy strategy to utilize of the enormous renewable energy
potentials of Egypt. The total budget of the project amounts to 340 million Euros. It is cofunded by European Partners. The EU has granted a total of 30 Million Euros of the total
project's budget. The German Development Cooperation through KfW has offered a loan of 191.5 million Euros; EIB has loaned 50 million.
"The Gulf of El Zayt windfarm represents a major renewable energy resource that will help boost Egypt's economy, create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas pollution. It is also
particularly relevant at a time when the international community is working hard for a new global climate deal in Paris next month at the UN climate conference. Indeed, the new wind
farm will increase the Egyptian wind installed capacity by 35%, which will decrease the carbon emissions by 400,000 tons per year," said Ambassador James Moran Head of the EU
Delegation to Egypt. "With this in mind, I am sure that the EU grant contribution of 30 million Euros is highly appropriate and will be well spent", Moran added.
The project’s objective is to address Egypt's energy needs through promoting the use of renewable energy to capitalise on the country's remarkable potentials for wind and solar
power generation. The project is part of a larger national programme to further expand power generation from renewable energy in Egypt and, thus, will enhance the security of supply
through more diversified electricity sources.
The project generates up to 800 GW per year, which is sufficient to supply approx. 500,000 people with electricity and contributes to preventing about 400,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide
CO2 emissions per year. The project addresses the needs of the Egyptian Government’s energy sector strategy and is in line with the medium term energy action plan funded by the
EU. A Renewable Energy Master Plan financed by the EU with KfW acting as mandatary is being finalized by the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA).
The project has a total installed capacity of 200 MW with 100 turbines of two MW capacities each. The project's scope comprises technical and environmental studies, design,
construction, commissioning and operation of this large scale onshore wind farm including a substation and a transmission line that evacuates the energy produced to the Egyptian grid.
It is a pilot project for state of the art bird protection measures using a “radar based shut down on demand system”. - (ANA) -

AB/ANA/ 09 November 2015 - - -