A number of Egyptian companies demanded an increase in solar energy feed-in tariff projects in Benban, Aswan. Those companies said that all participants in the Benban projects have signed deals with foreign contractors to carry out the construction work and supply components and solar cells to the new plants. They noted that a Chinese company has established three contracting companies a few days ago to carry out construction works in the new projects. They complained that local companies' share in the solar power projects is small and does not exceed 7% of the total works and only includes drilling, transport, logistics, and cable delivery. They added that all supervisors and managers of the projects are foreigners, while the workers in the construction phase are Egyptians. Sources at the Ministry of Electricity said that Egyptian companies will participate in the solar energy projects in Benban, whether through providing workers or through civil and logistics services. The sources stressed that local companies do not manufacture solar cells, transformers, or metal structures for the solar power projects, therefore, the ministry is forced to contract foreign companies. The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has agreed with 32 companies to purchase the power produced from the solar plants in Benban, which have a total capacity of 1,500 MW. The participating companies and alliances in the Benban projects are expected to start work within two weeks after the issuance of the ministry's letters of guarantee. The first phase of the feed-in tariff sets a fixed price for purchasing the electricity produced from the Benban projects for 25 years.
