The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) signed a contract to implement consultancy services for a solar power plant in Zafarana with the German company Intec. NREA Chairperson, Mohamed El-Khayat, told Daily News Egypt that the German company was contracted after its technical and financial offers outperformed other bids in a tender put forward by the NREA. The company will carry out consultancy services and supervise the implementation of the photovoltaic cell plant in Zafarana with a capacity of 50MW. He added that the German Development Bank(KfW) is financing the project with a soft loan of €50m, and is currently finishing the technical and financial analysis for the selection of the implementation contractor, which is expected to be completed by the end of December. Three companies, including Belectric, NARI Group Corporation, and Vikram Solar, technically qualified and two companies were excluded, one for technical reasons and the other withdrew. The project is expected to start production and operation in the fourth quarter of next year. This project is expected to contribute to the production of about 90m kW/h per year, achieving savings in fuel of about 18,000 tonnes of oil equivalent annually, and reduce emissions by 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. The Zafarana plant is the second project implemented by the NREA in the framework of its plan to diversify the mix of renewable energy projects with a total installed capacity of 1,375MW of wind power, 1,220MW of photovoltaic cell systems, and 2,830MW of hydro power with a total of 5,425MW, which were implemented through government agreements in addition to projects by the private sector. The ministry of electricity aims to produce 20% of the country's energy from new and renewable sources by 2022, and seeks to open the way for the private sector to invest in such projects.
