Embracing renewable energy projects will help Egypt's growing demand, reports Ahmed Kotb Egypt needs to invest heavily in alternative energy sources, in order to meet continuously rising demand, and depleting natural fossil fuel sources of fossil fuels are just part of the reason why switching to renewable energy has become a priority. Other reasons include rapid population growth and economic development, both of which speed up consumption rates. Egypt mainly relies on oil and natural gas to meet its energy needs. These two sources comprise more than 90 per cent of the country's total energy consumption. However, recent studies show that fossil fuel reserves may run out within 30 years. Dwindling oil and gas reserves are faced with an energy consumption rate that outpaces power production efforts by the Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MEE). Consumption, according to the MEE, jumped by seven per cent until 2009, but that rose to 11 per cent starting 2010. The rise was mainly driven by residential consumption, which accounts for about 40 per cent of overall consumption. Industries consume approximately 35 per cent. "We have limited reserves of oil and gas, and we must start investing in alternative energy sources if we are to prevent a future crisis," says Mohamed El-Sobki, director of Cairo University's Energy Research Centre. Current energy sources in Egypt, he added, can barely cover our energy needs. "This means we are on the verge of a crisis, and alternative sources of energy are needed," he said. El-Sobki highlighted three main alternative sources that, in his view, are correlated and would solve energy production-consumption difficulties. "Rationalising energy consumption is the first source of energy that can be easily made available," he said. "I consider it a new source of energy, and the cheapest one available." Recent studies showed that if energy consumption is effectively rationalised, it could save Egypt up to eight per cent by 2020, El-Sobki explained. Rationalising energy consumption could be as easy as replacing ordinary lamps with energy-saving alternatives, or turning off unnecessary lights. "Another alternative would be establishing power-sharing programmes between Egypt and neighbouring countries," El-Sobki said. A programme is already underway with Saudi Arabia. It will allow the two countries to share up to 3,000 megawatts, and is slated to kick off in 2015. But El-Sobki believed there should be more sharing programmes especially with Nile Basin countries with hydropower generation potential. The third alternative source of energy, according to El-Sobki, is renewable energy, which is currently perceived as the only way to ensure long-term energy needs. Although Egypt has plenty of renewable energy sources, they currently contribute less than 10 per cent to the country's total energy production. Most of that energy currently comes from hydropower. A government plan aims to increase that figure to 20 per cent by the year 2020. During a cabinet meeting last week, Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younis said a new fund for the development of renewable energy projects would be created. About 7,600 kilometres of state land will be allocated for future renewable energy projects. According to Aktham Abul-Ela, deputy minister of electricity and energy, there are several renewable energy projects already in place. Some are expected to begin operating soon. The total amount of energy produced annually from hydropower alone is estimated at around 13 billion kilowatts, and saves about three million tonnes of oil per year, he added. Abul-Ela also said that total electrical power generated from wind energy stands at 5.2 billion kilowatts, saving an annual 1.2 million tonnes of oil. Wind energy, he added, contributes 550 megawatts to the national electricity grid, which currently has a maximum daily capacity of 27,000 megawatts. "We have a plan to increase that number to 3,040 megawatts before 2016," he said. Abul-Ela also said that two presidential decrees were issued to allocate about two million feddans of state land for the establishment of wind energy farms. The lands are located in the most suitable sites with average wind speeds of approximately eight metres per second. The sites were identified by the Wind Energy Atlas, published by the MEE in 2003 to track the windiest places in the country. "These lands can generate about 30,000 megawatts through wind energy projects," Abul-Ela noted. The Zaafarana wind farm was the first wind facility to be established in Egypt. It started operation in 2010 with a capacity of 545 megawatts. "Egypt has some of the windiest places in the world, especially in the Gulf of Suez, and the south of Red Sea, Owainat, Al-Wadi Al-Gadid and the North Coast," he added, explaining that wind speed at these sites can reach 11 metres per second. There has been work on a Solar Energy Atlas as well, according to Abul-Ela, but it is the most expensive energy sector to invest in. Egypt currently has one operating solar- thermal power plant in Al-Kuraimat, which started to function last summer, with a capacity of 140 megawatts. The project is the first in the Middle East and one of only four such projects in the world. With an estimated total cost of LE2 billion, the solar power plant at Al-Kuraimat was brought to light with considerable help from the World Bank ($50 million) and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, which contributed a $220 million loan. "There is a five-year plan (2012-2017) to increase total power capacity produced from solar thermal plants to 280 megawatts," Abul- Ela said. A plant is currently being established in Kom Ombo in the governorate of Aswan, with an expected capacity of 100 megawatts. Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga announced on Sunday that the German government is ready to give Egypt a loan for its Kom Ombo solar power station, as part of ongoing international support for the country's renewable energy projects. The MEE had a plan to contribute some 4,000 megawatts to the national grid from the first nuclear power plant that was slated to begin operation in 2019. The nuclear site in El-Dabaa, in the governorate of Marsa Matrouh, was stormed earlier this year by residents who said the government didn't compensate them for the land it allocated for the project. Many buildings were destroyed and the fate of the project is not yet known. "We should prepare for a future power crisis from now," said El-Sobki, adding that "we had already started to feel the pinch of such a crisis a couple of years ago. Heavy consumption during peak hours in the summer led to power cuts, because the grid couldn't handle the pressure." The highest daily consumption rate recorded was 23,500 megawatts. Although the national grid's maximum daily capacity already exceeds 27,000 megawatts, Abul- Ela told the press on several occasions that it was impossible to generate all of that power at once because of maintenance procedures. Abul-Ela also said that the ministry is preparing for the next summer through an emergency plan to add 1,100 megawatts to the grid's capacity at a total cost of LE3.8 billion. "The answer to all energy problems can be summarised in the three alternatives I identified," El-Sobki said. "But the easiest and fastest way forward is to rationalise energy consumption."
