EGYPT: China's LONGi to supply modules for the 200 MWp Kom Ombo solar power plant

By Jean Marie Takouleu - Published on June 6 2023 / Modified on June 6 2023

Good news for LONGi Green Energy Technology. The company based in the Chinese city of Xi’an has just signed an agreement with Zhejiang Thermal Power Construction for the construction of the Kom Ombo photovoltaic solar power plant in Egypt. Under the terms of the recently concluded contract, LONGi will equip the solar power plant with "high-efficiency bifacial mono PERC modules".

The order was placed by China Power Engineering Consult and Zhejiang Thermal Power, subsidiaries of the China Energy Engineering Company (CEEC) group, which won the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from Saudi Arabian independent power producer (IPP) Acwa power, which is developing the Kom Ombo solar project. The contract covers the construction of a solar farm 805 km south of Cairo and 78 km north-west of Aswan.

The plant will have an installed capacity of 200 MWac and a DC capacity of 230 MW, as well as a 220 kV booster station. According to LONGi, the Kom Ombo solar park will supply electricity to 130,000 households and eliminate 336,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year, "contributing to Egypt's energy transition and giving an additional boost to the country's economic and social growth".

The Kom Ombo solar project reached financial close a few days ago, with the participation of several financial institutions. The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), Arab Bank, and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) have all mobilised 123 million dollars for Acwa Power. The solar power plant, connected to the grid of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), is due to come on stream in January 2024.

Jean Marie Takouleu