In Egypt, a 10 GW wind megaproject announced in western Suhag
A consortium of three global energy players will build a 10,000 MW wind farm in the western governorate of Suhag, with the agreement of the Egyptian government.
After China, Egypt is likely to be the country of gigantism when it comes to renewable energy production. The Egyptian government has just authorized a consortium to develop 3,025 km2 of land in the western Suhag governorate. On site, Emirati energy giant Masdar, its joint venture Infinity Power (with Infinity Energy) and Egyptian flagship Hassan Allam Utilities are planning to deploy a vast 10,000 MW wind farm.
This mega project in the making could require an investment of $10 billion. This is equivalent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country like Mauritania, which recorded $9.7 billion in 2022. According to the consortium, the park will be capable of injecting 47,790 GWh of clean electricity per year into the Egyptian grid, while avoiding emissions of 23.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2) over the same period.
The start of studies for the megaproject
More importantly, “the 10 GW wind farm will save the country around $5 billion in natural gas costs per year”, according to Infinity Power, which refrains from advancing a commissioning date for the future installations. This is to be expected, since the land granted by the Egyptian government will enable further studies to be carried out to implement the project. These include resource measurement campaigns (wind), geotechnical and topographical studies, as well as environmental studies “aimed at ensuring minimal impact on the environment”, says Infinity Power.
According to this joint venture between Masdar and Infinity Energy, these studies represent an important step in the development of the project, and the results will be essential to progress towards construction. “The signing of the land access agreement for the 10 GW wind farm project with our esteemed partners, Infinity Power and Masdar, marks a decisive turning point in Egypt’s move towards a more sustainable future,” says Amr Allam, Co-CEO of Hassan Allam Holding.
This megaproject could indeed enable Egypt to make a major leap towards achieving its energy transition objectives. Cairo aims to achieve a 42% share of renewable energies in its electricity mix by 2030, up from 7% in 2023. As part of its strategy, the Egyptian government has also granted land to independent power producers (IPPs) Scatec and Engie for the deployment of 8,000 MW of onshore wind turbines.
