The deal is part of preparations to operate electric vehicles in Sharm El-Sheikh during and after the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) scheduled for November, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy said in a statement on Saturday.

The local development minister affirmed that a fleet of buses running on electricity and natural gas, as well as electric vehicles, will be available in the Red Sea resort city starting September and October.

The new contract targets manufacturing 70 electric buses for Cairo Public Transport Authority in cooperation between the State Ministry for Military Production and the Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles (MCV) company, according to Egypt’s Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsy

The trilateral agreement allows the first ever fully electric bus to be manufactured in Egypt, Morsy added.

The C120 buses move at a maximum speed of 70 kilometres-per-hour and can run for 300-350 kilometres on a charge, Morsy said, noting that buses are composed of more than 60 percent locally manufactured components.

The body of the bus is fully designed and made in Egypt of anti-rust steel and contributes to reducing carbon emissions, noise and heat, Morsy added. The buses also have wifi, air conditioning and a USB charger in each seat.

Shaarawy, Morsy and Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel-Aal attended the signing ceremony along with MCV Chairman Karim Ghabbour and senior officials.

Egypt’s MCV is a leading vehicle manufacturer and the general distributor for Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles in Egypt.

Shaarawy lauded the government’s efforts developing the national industry of vehicles running on natural gas and electricity under the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in preparation for COP27.

In March, Egypt’s government announced that it will provide 300 natural gas-powered and electric buses to transport delegations participating in COP27.

The measure is the latest in the country’s efforts to transform the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh into an eco-friendly city in preparation for the event.

The conference is set to be attended by 30,000 participants and 120 heads of state, according to previous remarks by South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda.

The city has recently embarked on several projects to prepare for the COP27, including increasing green spaces and promoting electric vehicles to lower carbon emissions.

The city’s hotels and tourist and government facilities will also be operated by natural gas.