The Egyptian- German Committee on Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection (JCEE) was founded fifteen years ago on the 31 January. The establishment of the JCEE marked the beginning of a fruitful and successful cooperation between Egypt and Germany in the field of sustainable development that remains to this day.

On Tuesday the 31st of January, Egypt and Germany celebrated 15 years of cooperation under the JCEE.

During the celebration, the achievements of the last few years were reviewed and the joint commitment for the future was consolidated.

The celebration was attended by the German Ambassador to Egypt Frank Hartmann, Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker, a number of representatives of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and Egyptian implementing partners.

According to a press statement by the German embassy, the JCEE is the oldest ongoing bilateral project of German technical cooperation with Egypt in the field of energy and climate. It aims to give the Egyptian population and economy access to a reliable and cost-effective energy supply with reduced energy intensity and a high proportion of renewable energies. The work of the JCEE also contributes to the implementation of Egypt's national climate strategy.

In the last 15 years, thanks to intensive and trusting cooperation in this format, considerable success has been achieved. For example, the JCEE is working intensively on promoting the development of large-scale plants for generating electricity from renewable energies in the regions west and east of the Nile. When completed, these solar and wind power plants should provide enough energy to supply 1.5 million households. Other focal points are the digitisation of the Egyptian power grids as well as knowledge transfer and capacity building - in 2022 alone more than 300 Egyptian technicians and engineers were trained in the installation and maintenance of state-of-the-art photovoltaic systems.

The JCEE is thus a symbol of Germany's reliable and long-term support for Egypt on the way to sustainable development and in meeting the national, sustainable energy goals.

Germany would like to continue and expand the close cooperation in the JCEE in the future; the project is scheduled to enter its 5th phase in July 2023 and the federal government is allocating to it a budget of EUR 10 million.

It was only in November 2022 that Egypt and Germany agreed on a support package of over EUR 250 million for the Egyptian NWFE (Nexus Water, Food, Energy) programme at COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh. This consists of very concessional loans, debt conversion and grants that support Egypt in achieving its national contributions to climate mitigation.

In the future, JCEE will also contribute, among other things, to the Egyptian NWFE (Nexus Water, Food, Energy) programme, to the development of state-of-the-art technologies, such as green hydrogen, and to the achievement of Egypt's national climate goals.