The Chinese firm TBEA SunOasis has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two Egyptian government agencies to build 1 GW solar power plant.
According to Dr. Sahar Nasr, Minister of International Cooperation, project would be developed in two phases of 500 MW each .The MoU signed by the Egyptian’s ministers of international cooperation and military production and the Chinese firm also envisaged the establishment of solar panels manufacturing facility in Egypt.
The Ministry of International Cooperation will provide support during the construction stages of the project along with the preparation of feasibility study in co-ordination with the development partners.
This deal would enable exchange of expertise in local production of silicon solar cells and would also provide technology transfer and knowledge for construction of major solar power plants in Egypt. TBEA will be responsible for transferring knowledge, training laborers, providing assistance in research and development, engineering consultancies and operation and maintenance of solar power plants.
This partnership is in line with the Egyptian’s government plan to diversify its energy mix using renewable energy. The country has already attracted investments from various international firms for several hundred megawatts of renewable energy projects.
Several international project developers have announced aggressive plans to set up solar power projects in Egypt. A total of 39 project developers have signed agreements with the Egyptian government to set up 1.8 GW solar power project in Aswan province.
Other companies, including Siemens, Skypower Global, ACWA Power-Masdar, Scatec Solar, and Mainstream-Actis, have also announced planned major investments in the solar as well as wind energy sectors in Egypt.