Scatec Solar reaches commercial operation of 65 MW of its 400 MW Benban solar project in Egypt
Norwegian integrated independent solar power producer, Scatec Solar, announced grid connection and commercial operation of 65 MW of the 400 MW Benban solar project in Egypt. Scatec Solar now has 130 MW in operation in Egypt and with 400 MW under construction, it is the largest solar developer in Egypt.
Scatec Solar entered the Egyptian solar market in 2015, the year the Egyptian Government launched a solar Feed-in-Tariff programme with a goal of generating 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2022.
In April 2017, Scatec Solar with its partners KLP Norfund Investments AS and Africa50 Infrastructure Fund signed a 25-year Power Purchase Agreements with the Government of Egypt for delivery of electricity from six solar plants, equal in size, totaling 400 MW.
Scatec Solar is the single largest contributor to the 1.5GW Benban Solar Park with this 400 MW project. This is Scatec Solar’s largest and also its first project using bifacial solar modules. The bifacial modules are producing energy from both sides of the solar panel, increasing the total clean energy generation.
The estimated annual 870 GWh of electricity produced from Scatec Solar’s plants in Benban, located near Aswan in Upper Egypt, will avoid about 350,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year and provide energy for more than 420,000 households in Egypt.
With around 1.5 GW and covering 36 km² the Benban site near Aswan is in 2019 the world’s largest one-site solar project.
Scatec Solar expects to complete the project sequentially during second half of 2019.
Source: Press Release by Scatec Solar.
