Spanish wind turbine maker, Gamesa signs a new contract for the turnkey construction of a wind farm in Egypt. Upon the contract, Gamesa will start turnkey construction of the Gulf of El Zayt wind farm on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, where it will install 110 of its G80-2.0 MW turbines (220 MW). This project, which was awarded by Egypt's New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) by means of an international tender, will receive public financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). "The fact that Gamesa was selected for this project, for which all the major global OEMs bid, evidences yet again our products' tremendous competitiveness", explains Ricardo Chocarro, CEO of Gamesa Europe & RoW. Under the scope of the agreement, Gamesa will handle the supply, installation and commissioning of a total of 110 of its G80-2.0 MW turbines, starting in September 2015. The reliability and adaptability of this robust turbine make it ideal for the desert land, corrosive atmosphere and high temperatures typical of the Egyptian market. The company will also handle construction of the civil engineering and electric infrastructure needed to install and operate the facility and will provide operations and maintenance services for three years. The wind farm is expected to be commissioned during the second half of 2017. Gamesa entered the Egyptian market in 2004 when it won its first turbine supply contract, specifically for the Zafarana wind farm. Since then, the company has installed more than 600 MW in this market and services nearly 500 MW under O&M agreements. Egypt, which boasts excellent wind resources, is aiming to cover 20% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, which would mean an increase in installed capacity from just under 700 MW today to 7.2 GW. Besides Egypt, Gamesa is present in other African countries including Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Kenya, in its capacity as turbine supplier and installer and wind farm O&M service provider. The company is the leading OEM in Africa, where it has installed 1,110 MW and maintains close to 900 MW.
