UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi witnessed the signing of an agreement to develop a 10-gigawatt (GW) onshore wind project in Egypt, one of the largest wind farms in the world.
The agreement is between Masdar, one of the world’s fastest-growing renewable energy companies, along with its Infinity Power joint venture with Infinity, Egypt’s main renewable energy developer, and Hassan Allam Utilities.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE Special Envoy for Climate, and Chairman of Masdar, and Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi, Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, on the sidelines of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh.
“The scale of this mega 10 GW onshore wind project – one of the largest winds farms in the world – is a testament to the renewable energy ambitions of the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Egypt, and demonstrates Masdar’s status as a global leader in clean energy,” said Al Jaber said.
“The UAE and Masdar will continue to support Egypt’s net-zero goals, and we will endeavor to take forward the gains made here at COP27, as the UAE prepares to host COP28 next year.”
When completed, the 10 GW wind farm will produce 47,790 GWh of clean energy annually and offset 23.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions – equivalent to around 9 percent of Egypt’s current CO2 emissions.
The project will be part of Egypt’s Green Corridor initiative – a grid dedicated to renewable energy projects – and will contribute to Egypt’s goal of ensuring renewable energy makes up 42 percent of its energy mix by 2035.
The wind farm will also save Egypt an estimated $5 billion in annual natural gas costs, and help create as many as 100,000 jobs. Direct employment in the construction phase is estimated at around 30,000, with as many as 70,000 people being employed indirectly. After construction, around 3,200 jobs will be added for operation and maintenance.
