- Title: EGYPT: Government has ambitious plans to develop Egypt's solar energy potential
- Date: 2nd December 2009
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (DECEMBER 1, 2009) (REUTERS) WIDE OF MODERATOR ADDRESSING CONFERENCE EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF ENERGY AND ELECTRICITY, DR. HASSAN YOUNIS, SEATED NEXT TO DIRECTOR GENERAL OF IRENA (INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY), HELENE PELOSSE/ CLOSE OF YOUNIS CLOSE OF CONFERENCE SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF IRENA (INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY), HELENE PELOSSE, SAYING: "Well I just think its key, you know, because first you have a huge potential, and second because demand for energy is going to increase tremendously in the coming years because the population is going to increase, and at some point we're going to run short of oil and gas and everything, so we need to get started now. And I'm very pleased, you know, to see that Egypt has taken some measures, that things are moving here, and obviously its going to be even more in the future." YOUNIS ADDRESSING CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS LISTENING TO SPEECH CLOSE OF YOUNIS SPEAKING PARTICIPANTS LISTENING TO SPEECH YOUNIS ADDRESSING CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF ENERGY AND ELECTRICITY, DR. HASSAN YOUNIS, SAYING: "Firstly, we have potential for solar energy because we have the solar atlas that provides large potential for solar energy. Therefore, it is possible to have solar energy projects in Egypt. If you live in Egypt you will find that the sun is present all year round, summer and winter, with very strong solar energy. And therefore we are considered to be an attractive environment for this." WIDE OF CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF ENERGY AND ELECTRICITY, DR. HASSAN YOUNIS, SAYING: "Solar energy is costly. Egypt has a project that is today under construction - 140 Megawatts, 20 solar Megawatts and the (remaining) 120 (Megawatts) are part of a combined cycle. This project will begin operation by the end of next year, about a year from now. This is one of four projects all over the world taking this direction." YOUNIS ADDRESSING CONFERENCE 14 (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE DESERTEC FOUNDATION, DR. HANY EL NOKRASCHY, SAYING: "So the efforts of Europe to reduce emissions will fail because countries south of the Mediterranean are producing the same quantity of emissions. So Europe has an interest in helping these countries to switch from the traditional system of producing electricity to renewable energy. One of the things that would help to do this, is that Europe buys part, not all, but part of its electricity [in the South Mediterranean] in renewable resources." PARTICIPANTS SEATED AT CONFERENCE WIDE OF CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 17th December 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Energy
- Reuters ID: LVA4YOW0W2ZFZ1XVWQTSMEAXOHXJ
- Story Text: Egypt has ambitious plans to develop its solar energy potential, Egypt's energy minister tells a renewable energy conference.
Egypt's business community and government officials gathered in Cairo on Tuesday (December 1) for the first part of a two-day conference on renewable energy that is tipped to become an annual event.
At the opening of the conference, organised by the Alexandria Business Association in cooperation with the International Renewable Energy Agency [IRENA], Egypt's Energy Minister Dr. Hassan Younis told participants that Egypt is eager to build upon its existing projects in wind energy by exploiting its vast potentials in solar energy.
Helene Polosse, the newly elected head of IRENA, the only inter-governmental organisation dedicated exclusively to cooperation on renewable energy, also took part in the event, saying it was crucial that countries like Egypt develop their renewable energy potential fully.
"Well I just think its key, you know, because first you have a huge potential, and second because demand for energy is going to increase tremendously in the coming years because the population is going to increase, and at some point we're going to run short of oil and gas and everything, so we need to get started now. And I'm very pleased, you know, to see that Egypt has taken some measures, that things are moving here, and obviously its going to be even more in the future," said the head of the 138 member agency.
The Egyptian government has said it plans to supply 14 percent of its energy needs using solar, hydroelectric and wind energy by 2020.
Currently, 12 percent of Egypt's energy comes from the Aswan High Dam, and the energy grid is further supplemented by wind power from the 305-Megawatt (MW) Zaafarana wind farm.
Egyptian Energy Minister Younis says that it is essential that Egypt exploit its vast solar energy potential.
"Firstly, we have potential for solar energy because we have the solar atlas that provides large potential for solar energy. Therefore, it is possible to have solar energy projects in Egypt. If you live in Egypt you will find that the sun is present all year round, summer and winter, with very strong solar energy. And therefore we are considered to be an attractive environment for this," he said.
Egypt plans to produce up to 500 MW of solar power by 2017. Twenty MW of this will be supplied by the Integrated Solar Combined Cycle power plant now being built at Kureimat.
"Solar energy is costly. Egypt has a project that is today under construction - 140 Megawatts, 20 solar Megawatts and the (remaining) 120 (Megawatts) are part of a combined cycle. This project will begin operation by the end of next year, about a year from now. This is one of four projects all over the world taking this direction," said Younis.
Younis emphasised that there were still considerable technical challenges involved in making solar energy cost effective, and said that developed countries were cooperating with Egypt to solve the remaining technical obstacles.
One project aiming to exploit the region's solar energy capacity is DESERTEC, a 400 billion euro plan to power Europe with Sahara sunlight.
Desertec, a joint project supported by a dozen finance and industrial firms, mostly from Germany, could be the world's most ambitious solar power project. Fields of mirrors in the desert are expected to gather solar rays to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
The group's Vice Chairman, Dr. Hany al-Nokrachy, says that Europe has an interest in helping the Middle East produce clean energy.
"The efforts of Europe to reduce emissions will fail because countries south of the Mediterranean are producing the same quantity of emissions. So Europe has an interest in helping these countries to switch from the traditional system of producing electricity to renewable energy. One of the things that would help to do this, is that Europe buys part, not all, but part of its electricity[in the South Mediterranean] in renewable resources," he said.
The organisers of today's conference in Cairo said they are hopeful the regions' governments are taking the issue of renewable energy seriously, lauding the fact that IRENA will be based in oil producing Abu Dhabi. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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