Egypt’s solar plant Kom Ombo receives $114 M
Egypt, Kom Ombo: Egypt’s largest solar plant, Kom Ombo has received $114 million financing package.
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Egypt, Kom Ombo: Egypt’s largest solar plant, Kom Ombo has received $114 million financing package.
The funds have been provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Arab Bank.
The financing package with ACWA Power is for the construction of the largest private solar plant in Egypt.
The development of the Kom Ombo solar plant will add 200 MW of energy capacity, increasing the share of renewable energy in Egypt’s energy mix and further promoting private-sector participation in the Egyptian power sector.
The new Kom Ombo plant will be located less than 20 km from Africa’s biggest solar park, the 1.8 GW Benban complex. Once operational, the new utility-scale plant will serve 130,000 households.
ACWA Power submitted the lowest tariff in what was the first solar PV tender in Egypt. The provision of solar energy through a public tendering process aims to achieve a competitive tariff and promote the growth of solar energy as an affordable alternative to conventional energy sources.
Private-sector participation in the Kom Ombo project is the result of successful policy dialogue with the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), as well as a $3.6 M technical assistance programme, co-funded by the EBRD and the GCF, to support the EETC in administering competitive renewable energy tenders.
Source: ESI Africa