Egypt: Benban, a model for clean energy production in Africa | African Development Bank

In the land of gold, near Aswan, the pearl of the Nile, is one of the largest solar parks in the world: Benban. This is no coincidence: Egypt, located between latitudes 22 and 31.5 N, has one of the highest solar energy potentials of any country in the world.

The Benban Park extends over an area of ​​37 square kilometers near the “desert road” between Aswan and Cairo.

Launched in 2018 with the commissioning of the first photovoltaic power station, this mega project is integrated into the strategy developed by the Egyptian New and Renewable Energy Authority. The aim is to contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix to 42% by 2035. The park alone reduces CO2 emissions by two million tons per year.

“The first time I came here, there was only sand,” recalls Mostafa Abdelfatah, the project manager. “But the sun immediately seemed like a great opportunity to generate clean energy. Benban is now one of the largest solar farms in the world, with millions of photovoltaic panels supplying electricity to more than a million households,” he said.

The African Development Bank supported the solar park with USD 55 million. There are 34 solar power plants in the park, each with a capacity of 50 megawatts. At full capacity, it will produce 3.8 terawatt hours of electricity annually.

The project created at least 20,000 jobs during the construction period, with an additional 6,000 permanent jobs at the companies operating the park.

Engineer Hadeer Khalifa, the site’s performance and monitoring analyst, has braved very high local temperatures, sometimes reaching 50° Celsius, by working on the site since its inception in 2018. She monitors the performance of the photovoltaic panels.

“My colleagues had warned me that I would have to work under a scorching sun, in conditions that were hard to bear,” she recalls. “I told them I wanted to give it a try. I can say that I have grown enormously in this job, and they are very proud of that”, she says with a smile.

Khalifa added: “I have learned a lot and gained a lot of experience over the last four years from the engineers on site and the different companies I have worked with. And when you feel valued, when management appreciates your work, that’s heartwarming.”

In Benban, Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority has granted 39 companies specializing in energy production a 25-year right to operate the property and associated facilities.

There are also plans by the local authorities of Aswan to convert Benban Industrial High School into a solar energy school that will provide training on various aspects of solar energy and electromechanics.

The Benban solar farm could become a model for clean energy production in Africa as the continent strives to achieve the UN strategy under the Sustainable Development Goals.