Egypt to Begin Construction of Giant Wind Farm in 2024, Plans to Export Electricity

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Africa Director Ahunna Eziakonwa said that Africa, rich with green energy sources, is able to head the transition towards a carbon-neutral world earlier this month.

Egypt will begin construction of one of the world's largest wind farms in 2024, said Mohamed Mansour, chairman of Infinity Power company that backs the project. The farm is expected to cost $11 billion.

The construction of the 10-gigawatt wind farm, which could provide electricity to Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Libya and Europe, is expected to be completed by 2030. Mansour explained that the United Arab Emirates-owned Masdar and Egypt's Infinity Power Holding are to be involved in the construction.

According to the Infinity Power chairman, land for the project is expected to be secured this year. The most likely construction sites appear to be two locations in the Egypt Western Desert, one near Minya and the other Aswan. Both of these locations are characterized by wind speeds of up to 10 meters per second, suitable for the wind farm’s construction.

The generated power will be mainly purchased by the Egyptian government, but some of it is expected to be exported to Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Libya and Europe in the future via cables already in place or planned for construction.

Mansour also stated that the same consortium is developing an Egyptian green-hydrogen facility, that is expected to produce 480,000 tons of the fuel yearly by 2030.

Africa “is where the power generation is mostly needed,” he pointed out, saying that Infinity Power intends to triple its capacity in Africa to 3.75 gigatonnes by 2025.

Mansour emphasized that the company has plans to launch energy projects in Zimbabwe, Guinea, and Tunisia, as well as to expand its work in South Africa.

“We believe in generating clean electricity through renewables and we believe that everybody has the right to access to electricity,” Mansour emphasized.

The energy company head spoke at the COP27 climate summit, that took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, from November 6 to 19. The summit's main focus was addressing the global climate crisis, as well as helping climate-vulnerable states to cope with the climate change aftermaths.

Earlier this month, an Egyptian diplomat criticized western governments for making supportive climate pledges in public and retracting them in further private negotiations. In 2009, western countries promised to provide climate-vulnerable states with $100 billion annually from 2020, and this commitment has not yet been fulfilled.

Egypt is not far behind in the development of nuclear energy either. Last week, joint Russian-Egyptian construction of the second unit of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant "El-Dabaa" began. According to Egyptian authorities, the nuclear power plant will allow the country to meet the growing demand for electricity more successfully, as well as to conserve its oil and gas resources. Russian state company Rosatom will not only build the NPP, but also help local personnel to learn to operate the station and carry out necessary maintenance.

Earlier this month, the UNDP Africa Director noted that Africa has significant renewable sources, which can be the main pillar of the continent’s energy development. She emphasized that Africa “holds the key to many global climate solutions and a transition towards greener economies”.