Minister of Electricity and Energy Ahmed Imam , met with a delegation from the World Bank on 16 December to discuss current and future cooperation between the bank and the electricity sector. The World Bank is currently contributing $ 1.1bn to projects in the sector, according to an official statement issued by the ministry The projects the bank has helped finance include power stations in the north of Giza and the south of Helwan, which are currently under construction, while offering technical assistance in issuing tender documents. The bank is also participating in the development of clean electricity produced by the 250MW wind project, which will adhere to the build own operate (BOO) scheme. The bank also gave its initial approval to help finance a new wind farm that is expected to produce 200 MW of electricity in the Gulf of Suez and to help connect the wind farms to the national electricity grid through transmission lines. According to the ministerial statement, the meeting also included a review of projects that require the contribution of the bank such as the conversion of the power stations in Mahmoudia, Damietta and 6th of October City to operate using the "combined cycle system." The projects discussed also included potential financial assistance for the "Egyptian-Saudi electricity linkage project." The project will allow the two countries to share power during peak periods and to benefit from discrepancy in peak consumption periods. The capacity of the combined grid will result in an estimated 3000 MW increase in the power supply. The project, which was initiated in June between the two countries for $1.6bn, is expected to be completed by 2016. An operating test will be conducted in 2015. So far, the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has received five offers from international consulting firms to perform executive and consulting services for the project.
