US$660 million available for CSP development in MENA region

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Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia will receive funding from the CTF – supported in this instance by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and World Bank – to install 1.12 GW of CSP.

In addition to the $660 million funding from CTF, the plan is also expected to leverage around $5 billion from other donors and private financing.

Under the revised plan, the allocations are determined as follows:

  • Morocco: CTF $218 million for 300 MW (Ouarzazate II)
  • Egypt: CTF $123 million for 100 MW (Kom Ombo)
  • Tunisia: CTF $62 million for 50 MW (Akarit) (may increase to 100)
  • Jordan: CTF $50 million for up to 100 MW including concentrated photovoltaics

The plan will provide a further $10 million under a technical assistance (TA) component, which is aimed at complementing efforts at the project level, establishing a platform for knowledge exchange, and increasing private sector involvement and regional integration.

Algeria, which was originally earmarked for $160 million has confirmed that it will not request funding.

A signal for CSP development in MENA

The plan, first endorsed in 2009, anticipated the installation of around 895 MW of CSP capacity in the MENA region. In order to better suit the subsequent political and technological developments in this area, it was updated early this month to 1.12 GW.

The updates include a realignment of projects in the pipeline based on each country’s reassessed needs; and expands the plan’s horizons to also include concentrated solar photovoltaic (CPV) technologies and business models including public sector, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and independent power producers (IPPs).

Commenting on the new plan, Mafalda Duarte, AfDB coordinator for the Bank’s CIF program, noted, "We can all look to this revised plan as both a signal of hope for the forward economic and social movement in the region built on renewable energy, and a more realistic blueprint for the evolution of renewables as a potent engine of power globally."

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