Eni to Build Egyptian Solar Plant

Eni and Egypt have agreed on a common strategy to implement a series of renewable energy projects; it echoes Eni's earlier agreement in Algeria.

The first project, a 50 MWp Photovoltaic Plant in Sinai, near Eni's Abu Rudeis facilities, will be developed by Petrobel, an equal joint venture between Eni-owned IEOC and state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC); it will be sanctioned next month and completed by December 2017.

Eni said that any renewable power will effectively mean less gas has to be used in power generation. The gas thus made available could therefore be used to expand use of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) as fuel in the automotive sector, thus reducing carbon emissions.

Photo credit: Eni

CEO Claudio Descalzi pledged in April that Eni would invest more in gas-fired and renewable power in countries where it produces oil and gas.

Egypt is developing major offshore gas fields, including the Zohr and Greater Nooros fields that together have 33 trillion ft³ of gas in place. Its strategy to develop renewables in tandem with gas replicates that of turbine-maker Siemens which, in addition to building three huge gas-fired generation complexes each of 4.8 GW for the Egyptian government, is also building a wind turbine factory and up to 2 GW of wind projects near the Red Sea.

Mark Smedley