1000 megawatts added to Egypt's unified grid
In the last few years, Egypt's Ministry of Electricity and Energy has invited major international power companies to invest in Egypt in a bid to upgrade the total power grid before 2007 and meet the growing demand of energy in sectors of industry, agriculture and tourism.
To this regard, the Ministry has signed recently two agreements with two major French and Italian power companies to boost electricity services in Nubariya station.
The L.E. 50 million contracts will provide services related to power generating equipment and turbines, transmission and distribution of electric energy as well as technical services.
Following the signing ceremony, Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younis pinpointed that Nubaryia station total generating capacity accounts for 1500 megawatts and of total cost estimated at L.E. 3.6 billion to be fully in operation within 11 months.
The station's foreign component has been financed at easy-term loans from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Kuwaiti Fund for Development and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The local component will be provided by Egypt Electricity Holding Company (EEHC).
Younis clarified that Nubaryia station project includes the establishment of four gas turbines whose capacity of 250 megawatts per each where the exhaust of these units will be used in generating 500 megawatts. Two units will be in operation as of April 2005 and the other two in August 2006.
With electricity demand growing by between 7 and 8 %, an urgent plan currently under way by the Ministry of Electricity to add further electricity capacity to Egypt's National Grid by 1000 megawatts as of April 2005.
In this concern, the Minister announced that the plan envisages the establishment of a series of generating stations of total capacities estimated at 4500 megawatts via setting up 1500 megawatts in North Cairo station, 1500 megawatts in Nubaryia and 750 megawatts for both Kuraimat and Talkha stations.
This besides the establishment of projects for erecting an electric network in Sinai to provide power for urban, agrarian and mining projects.
Around 84 % of Egypt's electric generating capacity is thermal (gas turbines), with remaining 16 % are hydroelectric.
Most of the oil-fired plants have been converted to run with natural gas, a matter which help in generating clean energy and ensure environmental and oil wealth protection.