The New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) finalised operating five solar power stations as part of the authority's gradual transition to using solar power solutions in new cities, NUCA's Vice President Kamal Fahmy said in a statement. The transition is also part of the country's bigger plan of activating the use of alternative sources of energy that are sustainable. The stations' energy capacity operating on solar power are varying from 45 KWH up to 90 KWH. NUCA is currently installing a solar power station in the authority's building in Sheikh Zayed. The station's capacity is expected to operate on 50 KWH. The authority is also cooperating with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to improve street light using solar cells as well as LED street lights, with the starting point being Nile Sat road in the 6th of October City. "I believe solar energy has huge potential in Egypt since it will help reduce dependency on importing fossil fuel. It will also help stabilise the electricity network, which is still unstable in so many regions in Egypt," Luc Gare, Senior Vice President EMEA at REC, European leader in solar panel manufacturing, previously told Daily News Egypt. Private companies in Egypt were also interested in using solar power as an alternative source of energy. This month, 44 companies obtained tender conditions to establish a 200 MW solar power plant in a build-own-operate (BOO) project proposed by the government. Sources at the Ministry of Electricity said a large number of Arab and foreign companies obtained the tender conditions, including Sterling and Wilson, Enel Energy, FAS, Abdul Latif Jameel, ACWA Power, Orascom, SunEdison, First Solar, Lekela Power, Al-Tawakol, El-Sewedy Electric, Gigawatt Global, Terra Sola, Sun Power, and Scatec Solar.
