12 Entities Bid for Egypt’s 200MW Solar Plant

A dozen companies have agreed to participate in a tender for the construction of a solar power plant with a photovoltaic capacity of 200MW west of the Nile within the 600MW project proposed by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC).

EETC divided the 600MW project and sent a letter to companies qualified in previous tenders to clarify this, according to news reports.

Once they receive approval, fees for soil testing will be specified and divided, reported Daily News Egypt.

The companies that agreed to participate in the project are Masdar, Al-Fanar, Abdul-Latif Jameel, Lekela Power B.V., ACWApower, Orascom Construction, Biotherm, Alcazar, Tebia, and Sun Infinite, amongst others.

The New and Renewable Energy Authority will be granting the land approved companies will use for a period of 25 years. The approved companies will then design, implement, finance, and operate the stations under the B.O.O. system, while the Egyptian company purchases the energy on a power purchase agreement.

The sources indicated that the EETC intends to launch the remaining stages of the 600 MW project in the last quarter of this year.

According to the conditions, the bidding company must have implemented at least three 100 MW solar projects, and provide documents showing the financial solvency of the stations.

The Ministry of Electricity aims to produce 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2022.

The projects currently implemented include the Zafarana Wind Energy Complex with a capacity of 545 MW, the Gabal Al-Zait Wind Energy Complex with a capacity of 580 MW, a solar thermal plant in Koraymat with a capacity of 140 MW, a solar cell project in Kom Ombo with a capacity of 26 MW, as well as feed-in tariff park in Benban, Aswan with a capacity of 1465 MW.

The Orascom-Toyota alliance has launched a 250 MW wind power plant and is in the process of launching new projects of up to 500 MW.