Germany’s ib vogt breaks ground on three Egyptian solar farms totaling 166.5 MW

Construction has begun on three large-scale solar projects totaling a combined capacity of 166.5 MW in Benban, Aswan Governate in Egypt.

Ground was broken on two of the sites by German developer and EPC, ib vogt, which was awarded the rights to build the solar farms in Egypt’s second round FIT program, held last year. Construction of the third site is set to commence in a few days’ time, ib vogt said.

Combined, the solar plants will cover 270 hectares of land and host half a million solar modules mounted on tracking systems.

According to ib vogt, the three completed solar farms will mitigate the effect of 178,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, meeting the electricity needs of 55,000 local households.

In Round 1 of the Egyptian FIT, ib vogt secured and connected a 64 MW solar plant, and is the first mover in Round 2, the German developer said.

These three solar farms will be connected as part of the 2 GW Benban PV project, which will be one of the world’s largest solar complexes once completed.

This collection of PV plants is located 650 km south of Cairo in the heart of the Egyptian desert, and will help the nation meet 20% of its electricity needs with renewables – as per the government target for 2022.

Ib vogt’s contribution to this project will total 230.6 MW of solar capacity once completed. The German EPC has partnered with Phoenix Energy, Infinity Solar and BPE Partners on the project, which is being financed by development loans totaling $146 million, and supplied by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Dutch Development Bank (FMO) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).