Egypt to inaugurate world’s biggest solar project
The government of Egypt is finalizing work on the construction of the biggest solar project in the world built at a cost of about $4 billion.
The solar project dubbed Benban Solar Park will have a total generation capacity of 1650MWp.
In his opening remark at a media round table at the opening of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week on Monday, November 25, 2019 Ambassador Khaled Emara, Assistant Foreign Minister for African Organizations and Communities and Personal representative of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt to AUDA-NEPAD, said that the solar project which is built by the Egyptian government and the private sector will be inaugurated in few months time.
Ambassador Emara said the Egyptian government provided power feed-in tariff and all the required facilities for the project. “It is a good example for the whole continent how the public and private sector can collaborate to produce a clean energy,” he said.
Benban solar park is a power complex of 41 solar power plants being developed in Benban, located in the Aswan governorate. Benban is touted to become the biggest solar photovoltaic park in the world up on completion.
State-owned New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) is overseeing the 1.8GW project, which includes a number of small solar power plants being developed by different companies at a total cost of $4 billion.
The project is part of Egypt’s Nubian Suns Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff program announced in September 2014 in line with the Egyptian government‘s sustainable Energy Strategy 2035 that aims to produce 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2022.
The first phase of the solar park included Infinity Solar’s 50MW solar power plant, which commenced operation in March 2018. The solar park is believed to prevent two million tons of carbon emission per year.
Emara who expressed his government’s commitment to develop renewable energy resources said that Egypt is proud to host Africa’s Climate Center of Excellence.
Source: africa-energy-portal.org
