Egypt’s president directs to enhance national plans to increase reliance on renewable energy

Ahram Online , Sunday 7 Aug 2022

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed the government on Sunday to enhance national plans to increase reliance on renewable energy and maximize its value to diversify energy sources for the development process, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

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This came in a meeting on Sunday with various government ministers to follow up on the country’s strategy for new and sustainable energy, as well as electrical feeding for national development projects.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, and Finance Minister Mohamed Maait.

During the meeting, El-Sisi also directed to add the green hydrogen to the local integrated energy system in partnership with the private sector and global expertise to keep pace with the global development on climate change and the current trend toward a green economy.

The meeting reviewed developments in cooperation with international expertise in implementing the national strategy for generating green hydrogen using renewable energy, in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and jointly between the Ministries of Electricity and Petroleum.

Egypt aims in the coming years to reduce carbon emissions, promote the use of renewable energy sources, and use alternative energy forms including green hydrogen as part of the National Climate Strategy 2050 announced by the government in May.

Egypt has recently signed a number of MoUs on hydrogen and green ammonia production with international partners as part of the country's efforts to attract foreign investments into green hydrogen production in order to become a transit route for clean energy to Europe.

Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced by electrolysis using renewable energy. The method uses an electrical current to separate hydrogen from oxygen in water without producing carbon dioxide. The fuel thus produces zero emissions and many see it as holding the answer to limiting global warming.

The meeting also reviewed the latest developments in electricity production from new and renewable energy, which depend on wind and solar energy.  

To maximize the use of renewables, the Ministry of Electricity drafted an Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy 2035, which targets supplying 20 percent of the country’s energy from renewable sources at peak load by 2022. This is planned to rise to 42 percent by 2035. Egypt’s peak load is around 30,000 Megawatts (MW).

Regarding the exploitation of wind energy, the meeting tackled efforts to raise the capacities generated by wind turbines by relying on ultra-high turbines with high production capacities to maximize the utilization of wind energy in regions characterized by high wind speed in the country.

The meeting also witnessed the presentation of the executive stance on securing electrical power for national development projects, especially land reclamation in Sinai, the southern valley, and the new delta, particularly on the electrical work at water-lifting stations used in agriculture and land reclamation.

El-Sisi ordered the immediate completion of the projects of supplying electric power lines for the national agricultural projects.

Moreover, El-Sisi was briefed on the developments of electrical interconnection projects with neighboring countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Cyprus.

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