Egypt inaugurates 500-mw solar power plant in Kom Ombo

Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly has inaugurated a 500-megawatt Abydos 1 Solar Power Plant in Kom Ombo with an investment of 500 million dollars, according to a Cabinet statement.

The plant covers 10,000 square metres with over a million solar cells, 1920 sub-stations, 64 converter stations, and two main transformers, each with a 300-megawatt capacity and weighing 255 tons, the largest in Africa and the Middle East.

The UAE-based AMEA Power carried out the project with funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO).

The Chairman of AMEA Power, affiliated to UAE’s Al Nowais Investment Group, noted that the plant supplies electricity to 256,000 homes and contributes to reducing CO2 emissions by about 760 tonness annually.

Al Nowais said work at the plant began in March 2023, with Egyptians making up 95 per cent of the project’s administration and 100 per cent of the workforce. At its peak, 3,500 workers were on-site, and the project achieved 4.9 million safe working hours.

Hussein Al Nawais said that AMEA Power has invested $2 billion in Egypt’s renewable energy sector, including the Abydos 1 and 2 solar power stations and the Amunet wind farm, totalling 1800 megawatts with battery energy storage.

Attribution: The Egyptian Cabinet’s statement

Subediting: M. S. Salama