UAE signs with Egypt to install North Africa's largest wind power farm
The United Nations climate summit is the scene of important regional agreements. The latest to be concluded is the one between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. Dignitaries from both countries have pledged to collaborate on the installation of the largest onshore wind farm in North Africa, to be located in Egypt.
The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sutan Ahmed Al Jaber and his Egyptian counterpart. The two UAE and Egyptian presidents witnessed the signing, which was accompanied by a firm handshake.
According to statements made by the Emirati energy official, the wind farm project will have a production capacity of 10 GW. For Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, the project is a sign of the UAE's clear will to meet the COP27 objectives, and to make a strong commitment to clean and renewable energy.
Once completed, the project is expected to produce around 47,790 GW/h of clean energy annually, which will offset 23.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, roughly equivalent to 9% of Egypt's total emissions. This is intended to promote Egypt's green corridor initiative.
The Al-Sisi government also hopes to diversify its energy mix. The Egyptian administration's targets are to achieve 42% clean energy production by 2035. Egypt consumed around 1,054 terawatt-hours annually and still has a long way to go to reach this target, which perhaps seems overly optimistic. Of the 1,054 TW/h of annual consumption in 2021, almost all, 619 TW/h and 355 TW/h come from gas and oil respectively.
According to Emirati sources, the wind farm will save Egypt's coffers $5 billion in gas purchases, as well as generate around 30,000 jobs directly during the construction phase. Some 3,200 jobs will be created after completion of the facility.
