The EDF group, via its subsidiary EDF Energies Nouvelles, and Elsewedy Electric Group are joining forces for the design, construction and operation of two solar power plants with a total power of 100 MWac in Egypt. This project marks the entry of the EDF group into the Egyptian renewable energy market.
Located in Aswan, in the south of the country, the two plants will be part of one of the largest solar complexes under construction in the world – Benban Solar project – with a total power of 1.8 GWac(1). The financing of the two power plants, concluded on October 25, will be carried out by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Proparco, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency, specializing in investments in the countries of the South. EDF Energies Nouvelles and the Elsewedy group will be co-shareholders of the two installations. A 25-year power sales contract (PPA) was signed with the distribution company Egyptian Electricity Transmision Company (EETC). Construction of the solar power plants will begin in the first quarter of 2018, upon approval by the Egyptian authorities of the final conditions linked to the electricity sales contract.
The project contributes to the EDF group's ambition to achieve an installed capacity in renewable energies of 50 GW by 2030 and illustrates the Group's international strategy of investing in markets with high development potential. Indeed, Egypt aims to double the share of renewables in its energy mix by 2020.
Jean-Bernard Lévy, CEO of the EDF group, declared “Our contribution to the completion of the Benban Solar project illustrates our position as leader in low-carbon energy production. We are proud to support the energy transition in Egypt through renewable projects developed in partnership with a local industrialist, in line with the group's CAP 2030 strategy.”
(1) The contract concerns installed power expressed in MWac, a unit of measurement for alternating current.
Press release initially published by the EDF Group.
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About EDF Energies Nouvelles
EDF Energies Nouvelles is an international leader in renewable electricity with an installed capacity of more than 10 GW gross worldwide. Its development is mainly focused on wind power and photovoltaic solar power. Mainly present in Europe and North America, EDF EN continues its development by taking a position in promising emerging markets such as: Brazil, China, India, South Africa and the Gulf regions. The Company, which is strongly positioned in the offshore wind sector, is also present in other renewable energy sectors: marine energies, distributed energies as well as energy storage. EDF EN ensures the development and construction of renewable energy projects as well as their operation and maintenance, for its own account and on behalf of third parties. EDF Energies Nouvelles is the subsidiary of the EDF group dedicated to the development of renewable energies. For more information: www.edf-energies-nouvelles.com
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