CAIRO: Egypt has begun accelerating its plans for developing wind-power farms, according to Minyanville.com. With some of the best conditions in the world for collecting renewable energy via wind power, the Egyptian government is planning to have wind-power farms built in various parts of the country. A 2003 wind-potential study revealed that Egypt is home to several vast regions that maintain near constant winds of 7 to 10 meters per second, speeds considered to be ideal for powering wind turbines. The Gulf of Suez, desert areas east and west of the Nile River, and parts of the Sinai Peninsula maintain the wind speeds needed for the wind farms to be successful. Egypt's first wind farm, Zafarana, located south of Suez became operational last year. Egypt's aspirations for wind-power farm development come from its goal to increase its electricity capacity from 23,500 megawatts to 58,000 megawatts by 2027. Egypt's main roadblock for their development schemes is funding. However, it appears that foreign investors appear to be interested in the potential of the wind-rich nation. Italian energy corporation, Italgen Group, announced this summer that it would invest an estimated €140 million in to Egypt for the development of wind-generated energy projects in the Gabal al-Zeit region of the country. BM
