Status of Renewable Energy Projects in Egypt

摘要

Egypt's economic development hinges on the energy sector. To meet burgeoning energy demand, the government's Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy, ISES 2035, involves stepping up the use of renewables and improving energy efficiency in the power sector. The government has set targets for renewables to make up 42% of the country's electricity mix by 2035, based on rapid solar and wind deployment. Energy subsidies has been a fiscal burden on the country's budget constituting 7% of GDP equivalent to the expenditure of EGP 120 billion in 2013/2014. In July 2014, the Prime Minister issued the decree 1257 for year 2014 that introduced a five-year plan to phase out the electricity subsidies by fiscal year 2018/2019. This has positively encouraged the roll-out of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. Egypt could realistically, and cost-effectively, supply 53% of its electricity mix from renewables by 2030, double the share to be expected from current plans and policies. With renewable power, heat and fuels all factored in, renewables could provide 22% of Egypt's total final energy supply in 2030, up from just 5% overall in 2014. The renewable equipment market is potentially worth billions of dollars. Egypt intends to supply 20 percent of generated electricity from renewable sources by 2022, with wind providing 12 percent, Hydro power 5.8 percent, and Solar 2.2 percent. Egypt is, therefore, committed to the widespread deployment of renewable energy technologies. To date, the country's total installed capacity of renewables amounts to 3.7 gigawatts (GW), including 2.8 GW of hydropower and around 0.9 GW of solar and wind power. As specified in the ISES to 2035, the Egyptian government has set renewable energy targets of 20% of the electricity mix by 2022 and 42% by 2035.