Egypt reviews 3,100-MW solar, pumped-storage project in Sinai

Egypt’s Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat reviewed plans for an integrated 3,100-megawatt renewable energy project in the Sinai Peninsula combining solar power and pumped-storage hydropower, the ministry said on Sunday.

Esmat met representatives of the Renergy Group Partners consortium to review developments in the project, findings from a joint study with the ministry, and options for moving ahead with implementation.

The project is planned to be implemented in two phases and would combine solar generation with pumped-storage hydropower to provide stable electricity to the national grid, the ministry said.

The consortium is led by Renergy Group Partners as the main developer, with Green Tech Egypt as the local technical partner and OAK Holdings as the financial and investment partner.

The meeting covered the project’s technical and financial feasibility study, proposed technologies, grid-connection arrangements, expected investment, the share of local components and planned generation capacity.

Esmat said the project was in line with Egypt’s strategy to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity mix and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

He said pumped-storage hydropower and battery storage would be important for maintaining grid stability as the share of renewable energy in power generation increases.

Egypt has also been expanding battery-based energy storage projects integrated into the national electricity grid, Esmat said.

The minister reaffirmed the ministry’s efforts to advance a pumped-storage hydropower project in El Tor, South Sinai, saying such projects would provide the grid with the flexibility and stability needed to accommodate different sources of electricity generation.

The meeting also discussed greater use of Egypt’s geographic characteristics, particularly for water pumping and storage for electricity generation, while maximising the country’s renewable energy resources.