21/06/2010
Al-Alam Alyom Newspaper 2010/JUNE /21
The Ministry of Electricity and Energy unveiled its plan to implement required projects until 2027 with investments of $110 billion which includes establishing new generation stations. Egypt should benefit from available world grants and soft loans offered by developed countries and it should encourage foreign investment in the field of producing pure silicon as a necessary component in producing light energy. It also should work on transferring the developed countries technology to Egypt and promote cooperation with a number of donors with a view to raising the quality and competitiveness of the Egyptian industry in the international arena.(Available in Arabic – German in PDF)
The Ministry stressed that the door is open for the private sector to participate in various types of electricity generation, except nuclear energy which is to be under the state. The 2020 plan is aimed at generating 20 percent of total electricity production from clean sources, while the second is the 2027 plan which is aimed at establishing a number of generation stations. Loans were acquired from Japan to establish a 220-megawatt wind farm and one from Kuwait for 600 million to participate in the construction of a 1300-megawatt thermal power plant. Dr. Nader Riad stressed the importance of securing financing for development and research programs in research centers and universities, with a view to modernizing and developing available technologies of clean and renewable energy and reducing the cost of the applications of solar energy. The world is gradually dispensing with the use of coal, oil and gas and these types of fuel will not meet the needs of the world for generating electricity. Current conditions force us to search for major new investments to be injected into the electricity sector, to meet the increasing needs of electricity resulting from industrial development.