Acwa Power in deal to set up 10GW wind project in Egypt

Acwa Power in deal to set up 10GW wind project in Egypt

Acwa Power, a leading developer and operator of power generation and water desalination plants worldwide, said it has signed an agreement with the Egypt's New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) to set up a 10 gigawatt (GW) wind project in the country.

The wind power plant is expected to provide the Egyptian economy with $6.5 billion in savings in annual natural gas costs and secure up to 120,000 job opportunities, said the statement from Acwa Power.

Under the deal, NREA will allocate approximately 3,000 sq km of land west of Sohag, an urban centre, for the project.

On completion, the wind project is expected to generate around 50,000 GW-hours of clean energy annually, providing electricity to around 11 million households and mitigating the impact of 25.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

A leading player in the region's utilitites sector, Acwa Power has had a major presence in Egypt since 2015.

The company has three other facilities in Egypt, that are either in operation, under construction or in advanced development, including a 120 MW solar PV project in Benban, a 200 MW solar PV facility in Kom Ombo, and the 1.1 GW Suez Wind Energy project.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr Mohamed Shaker Al