Works on 10GW Sohag Windfarm Project to begin in Q1 of 2025

Infinity Power and Hassan Allam Utilities of Egypt, and the UAE’s Masdar are set to start construction on their $11 billion 10GW wind farm in Q1 of 2025, Infinity Power Chairman Mohamed Mansour said.

In an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, Mansour said that the consortium was planning to reach financial closure by Q1 of 2025 with operations scheduled to begin in 2027 — approximately two years after construction commences. The proposed project will be one of the Africa’s biggest wind energy projects and one of the largest in the world.

“The funding for this project will be sourced from investors outside of Egypt, meaning that there will be no delays tied to Egypt’s current FX shortage. Between 70%-80% of the funding will come from international institutions after completing the studies and other procedures” Mansour told the Saudi news channel.

The studies on wind and the environment, which may take about a year before implementation begins, he added.

Located in Sohag, the wind farm will offset as much as 10% of our total carbon footprint, saving the country around $5 billion per year by minimising the need for natural gas consumption.

It may be recalled that Masdar, Infinity Power and Hassam Allam Utilities have signed an agreement with Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority to secure land to build the 10GW onshore wind farm in Egypt in June this year.

This landmark wind project will produce 47,790 GWh of clean energy per year and reduce around 9% of Egypt’s annual carbon emissions by displacing 23.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.  The wind farm will also help Egypt meet its strategic objective of sourcing 42% of its energy from renewables by 2030.

The original agreement to develop the 10 GW wind farm was signed between Masdar, Hassan Allam Utilities and Infinity Power and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission company on the side lines of the UN climate change conference, COP27, held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt last year. 

Masdar, Infinity Power and Hassan Allam Utilities also signed agreements with Egyptian state-backed organisations to develop green hydrogen and derivatives’ production facilities.  The consortium is targeting a capacity of 4 GW by 2030, and an output of up to 480,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.

Strong Partnership

In the words of Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Chairman of Masdar and COP28 President, this onshore wind project is a sign of the strong partnership between the UAE and Egypt, with great potential to create jobs, cut emissions and power homes with clean electricity at competitive economical costs. 

The world needs to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Projects like these will support the global efforts to reduce the impact of climate change and help keep the ambition of 1.5 intact while enabling significant socio-economic growth, the UAE Minister said.

In March this year, Masdar became the largest operator of renewables in Africa, after its joint venture with Infinity Power, acquired Lekela Power, a renewables developer with operations across the continent. 

Masdar also demonstrated its commitment to African nations by signing deals to develop renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of up to 5 GW in Angola, Uganda, and Zambia, in January.  Egypt is the Middle East and North Africa’s most populous country and has an abundance of renewable energy sources, including wind and solar.