The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) is considering implementing solar and wind energy projects with a total capacity of 3,170 MW. NREA Head Mohamed El-Khayyat told Daily News Egypt the projects being considered are wind farms with a total capacity of 2,200 MW, and solar plants with a total capacity of 970 MW. El-Khayyat added that the projects currently under implementation will reach a capacity of 453 MW, and include a 250 MW wind station, a 200 MW solar station, and a 3 MW bio-energy project. He also said that solar photovoltaic projects that are now up and running produced about 361 GW/h in March. The total production capacity of wind farms reached 269 GW/h, with the capacity of energy produced from concentrated solar power plants reached 69 GW/h. The actual production of hydroelectric power reached about 1,041 GW/h, and about 1 GW/h of bio energy. El-Khayyat said the state aims to increase by 20% the share of renewable energy in the country's energy generation mix by 2022, with the possibility of doubling it by 2035. The government will also adopt a package of flexible policies and mechanisms to encourage private investment in its projects. These include construction, ownership, and operation; independent producer; and feed-in tariff systems that resulted in the implementation of the 1,465 MW Benban solar energy complex in Aswan. In addition to the NREA's government wind energy projects with a capacity of over 1,100 MW in Zafarana and Jebal Al-Zait, private sector projects come with almost double annual growth rates. They also have future expectations for a high frequency in implementing renewable energy projects depending on their competitiveness. El-Khayyat said that the use of solar energy to generate electricity at operating wells in the one-and-a-half million acres project is inevitable, not a luxury. Using solar energy to operate these wells helps avoid overloading the electricity grid, whilst exploiting the region's available renewable energy sources. El-Khayyat added that Egypt remains on-hand to continue its cooperation with and share its experience in the renewable energy sector with other African countries. This is especially as the NREA is currently implementing renewable energy projects in about 15 African countries, through Egyptian grants and joint cooperation.
