An existing 545 MW wind farm in Egypt is set to be repowered into a 3 GW solar-plus-wind project.
The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a consortium of Voltalia and Taqa Arabia to permit the repowering of the Zafarana wind farm, located 130 km southeast of Cairo.
The plan will combine 2.1 GW of solar with 1.1 GW of wind, making it the first project in Egypt to merge both renewable energy sources.
Voltalia and Taqa Arabia say they have jointly developed a modern hybrid renewable energy solution to maximize land utilization on existing plots of Zafarana, with an expected first commissioning in 2028.
The partners will first conduct preliminary technical and environmental measurements and studies. A statement from Voltalia says key studies will include wind speed and direction measurements, bird migration patterns, solar irradiation levels and geotechnical, topographic and environmental evaluations.
The MoU was signed on Thursday, alongside a second between EETC and Dubai-based independent investor Alcazar Energy Partners for a further 2 GW of wind.
The two agreements support Egypt’s national strategy for integrated and sustainable energy, which has set a target of increasing the country’s share of renewable energy in the national energy mix up to 42% by 2030 and over 60% by 2040.
In September, Norwegian developer Scatec revealed plans for Egypt’s first hybrid solar-plus-battery project, shortly followed by Dubai-based developer Amea Power’s plans to build 1 GW of solar and 900 MWh of storage across two projects in the country.
The same month, Singapore-headquartered EliTe Solar announced it will establish an 8 GW manufacturing hub in Egypt.
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