Egypt has signed an MoU with Abu Dhabi’s Masdar to develop a 5 GW floating solar power plant
It is proposed to be located on Lake Nasser and developed in 2 phases of 2 GW and 3 GW, respectively
Masdar will also develop a 2.8 GW solar power project in Upper Egypt another MoU
The country recently also signed up Voltalia and Arab Energy Alliance to build a hybrid utility-scale wind and solar energy plant
The Egyptian government has joined hands with the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company Masdar for what could become the world’s largest floating solar power plant with 5 GW installed capacity. The current largest installed floating PV project in the world is in China with a 1 GW installed capacity (see Commercial Operations Start For World’s ‘Largest’ Offshore Solar PV Project).
Egypt Future for Sustainable Development Authority has entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Masdar to explore the development of a 5 GW floating PV project in Lake Nasser, one of the world’s largest artificial lakes, according to the Earth Observatory of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Named after former Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser, Lake Nasser was formed due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile. Part of it falls in Northern Sudan where it is called Lake Nubia.
Under the MoU, Masdar will develop and establish the floating PV project in 2 phases: 2 GW as part of phase I, followed by another phase of 3 GW.
Through this MoU, Egypt says it aims to exploit the great potential provided by Lake Nasser to enhance energy security in the country. It will also become a model to be emulated for future renewable energy projects in the region.
Additionally, under another MoU signed between the 2 parties, Masdar will also develop a 2.8 GW solar power project in the Nag Hammadi area in Upper Egypt.
“The development of this station, which is expected to be the largest project of its kind in the world, in addition to benefiting from Masdar’s global experience in developing floating solar power stations, is expected to contribute to supporting Egypt’s efforts and endeavors to rely on sustainable energy solutions,” stated the Egyptian government.
These MoUs with Masdar follow the country announcing a similar agreement with Voltalia and Arab Energy Alliance on November 14, 2024 to study the potential of a 1.1 GW wind and 2.1 GW solar energy project as the 1st such project to integrate both these technologies. These companies will measure wind speed, solar irradiation levels, bird migration patterns, and geotechnical and environmental assessments for the proposed project.
Egypt is promoting renewable energy development in the country aligned with its National Strategy for Integrated and Sustainable Energy under which it aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its total power mix to exceed 42% by 2030. It will further scale up to more than 60% by 2040 as the world adopts energy storage and green hydrogen at a large scale.
It is set to repower one of its oldest wind energy farms, Zafrana Wind Farms, with 3.2 GW worth of solar and wind power as announced recently (see Egypt To Repower Old Wind Farms With 3 GW Hybrid RE Capacity).