Red Sea Governorate Site Of First Solar Energy Park

The local Egyptian press is reporting a plan to build the first public sector solar panel energy producing park in Egypt at a budgeted cost of 91.6 Million USD. The suggested site to be in the Red Sea Governorate, at the site of the current wind farm, north of Hurghada, on the road to El Gouna.

The plan was discussed by Mr. Ahmed Abdallah, Governor of the Red Sea, in a meeting with concerned parties, last Monday, at the Red Sea Governorate's offices.

Discussions centered around an estimated initial production capacity of 20 Megawatts. The Solar Energy Farm would be built on a total surface of half a million square meters from an overall available area of 2.5 million square meters, at the current wind farm site. The discussions also covered the role played by the Hurghada based Information Technology Center for Renewable Energy to achieve optimum use of land available.

The Solar Energy producing station would be built under the agreement reached by President Abdul Fatah El Sisi during his March 2016 visit to Japan, covering Renewable Energy projects in Egypt. Protocols had been signed between Egypt's Renewable Energy Organisation and Japan's International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Discussion during the meeting also covered cooperation between the Egyptian partner and OCG, the Japanese Consultant house submitted by JICA to establish requirements and specifications for design of the solar station, with a view to complete procedures and obtain approvals in the shortest possible timeframes, with an eye on furthering this cooperation in the years to come, between Japan and Egypt.

The Governor lauded the Hurghada based Information Technology Center for Renewable Energy that will oversee all Renewable Energy projects across Egypt, and that in itself will attract visitors to Hurghada.