Egypt targets 45 GW of renewables, to consider floating solar

Egypt targets 45 GW of renewable energy capacity, including developments under construction and future projects, Mahmoud Esmat, the newly elected Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, said today.

During a cabinet meeting, Esmat highlighted that Egypt's total operational capacity for renewable energy, encompassing both wind and solar, is about 4.6 GW while hydropower capacity has reached 2.83 GW.

The minister also reviewed the status of projects currently under construction, which are expected to be completed before the summer of 2025.

Dubai-based renewables developer AMEA Power alone plans to connect 2,000 MW of renewable energy capacity to Egypt's power grid by the summer of 2025.

Esmat also addressed the status of projects that are still undergoing procedural completion and are planned to be operational in 2026/27. Additionally, he discussed large-scale wind energy projects with capacities of up to 28 GW, for which memoranda of understanding and agreements have been signed to secure land and conduct necessary measurements.

On Monday, Esmat, who took over the position earlier this month, emphasised the importance of the Egyptian-Saudi interconnection project and the necessity of combining efforts, coordination, and cooperation with the Saudi side to complete the project and connect the electrical grids of the two countries before next summer. He also highlighted the need to consider new projects like floating solar installations.