Egypt has invited bids for the development of 500 MW of renewable energy projects including one solar photovoltaic (PV), one concentrating solar power (CSP) and one wind power project in the West Nile Area
The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) and the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) have announced separate tenders for 250 MW of wind, 200 MW of PV and 50 MW of CSP capacity, law firm Eversheds LLP said.
The facilities, which will be developed on a build, own and operate (BOO) basis, are planned for the West Nile Area. EETC will sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the winners. NREA, on its part, will provide the land for the projects.
Interested parties should submit pre-qualification documents for the wind tender by 5 October 2015. Bids as part of the PV and CSP auctions are expected by 2 November and 16 November respectively.
EETC and NREA are inviting both local and foreign developers to participate in the auctions Those who take part in the wind and PV tenders should have prior experience in building at least three 50-MW facilities of the specific type. On the other hand, those who bid in the CSP tender need to have installed at least 30 MW of solar thermal power capacity across three sites.
?Because of the high criteria, there may be just a relatively small group of top international developers willing to bid,? Cornelius Matthes, managing director for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at Italian company Building Energy, told The National.
The NREA aims to satisfy 20 per cent of the country?s electric energy demand from renewable energy resources by the year 2020, including about 12 per cent from wind power and eight per cent from hydro power and solar energy, according to the authority?s official website.
