COP27 host Egypt inches towards green energy

COP27 host Egypt – the Arab world’s most populous country – is taking steps to convert to renewable energy. But the developing country, like others, faces obstacles in making the switch. Much of its infrastructure depends on fossil fuels to power the nation of some 104 million people. By Samy Magdy and Jack Jeffery

  • Thousands of photovoltaic solar panels generate electricity at Benban Solar Park, one of the world’s largest solar power plant in the world, in Aswan, Egypt, 19 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    From a distance, the endless landscape of solar panels stretching toward the horizon can easily be mistaken for crops nearing harvest. But here in the desert in southern Egypt, workers have been cultivating another precious commodity: electricity
  • Engineers talk next to photovoltaic solar panels at Benban Solar Park, one of the world’s largest solar power plant in the world, in Aswan, Egypt, 19 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    Flagship project “Benban”: the solar panel farm puts Egypt at the African continent's forefront when it comes to renewable energy. But questions remain over Cairo’s long-term green energy strategy, and whether there are enough incentives for the cash-strapped government to supply 42% of the country's electricity from renewable resources by 2035, as it has announced
  • Cargo ships sails near Lekela wind power station, near the Red Sea city of Ras Ghareb, some 300 km from Cairo, Egypt, 12 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    Solar and wind versus natural gas: thanks to new gas discoveries located in Egypt's section of the Mediterranean Sea the focus has shifted. ”We have seen less interest in the past couple of years in integrated renewable energy projects in Egypt, both in terms of solar, in the south, and wind,'' says Chatham House expert Karim el-Gendy
  • Delegates attending COP27 World Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)
    COP27 host: Egypt has said it will pressure other nations to implement climate promises made at previous conferences. Though not bound by any carbon emissions cap, the North African country has vowed to mitigate and curb its emission rises across key polluting sectors, such as electricity and transport
  • Engineers walk next to solar panels at Benban Solar Park, one of the world’s largest solar power plant in the world, in Aswan, Egypt, Wednesday, 19 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    No lack of funding: the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has allotted $10 billion for over 150 projects across Egypt, with Benban one of its major successes. The farm is designed to grow as demand for solar energy increases. “It offers great potential for us and other investors,” said Faisal Eissa, general manager for Egypt at Lekela, a Dutch company that has invested in Benban
  • Engineers talk next to photovoltaic solar panels at Benban Solar Park, one of the world’s largest solar power plants in the world, in Aswan, Egypt, 19 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    A long way to go: Egypt's New and Renewable Energy Authority claims Benban has already reduced the country's annual greenhouse emission output. In 2020, renewables accounted for 6% of Egypt's energy consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, with petroleum products accounting for 36% and natural gas for 57%. Coal accounted for just 1%
  • The sun sets behind photovoltaic solar panels at Benban Solar Park, one of the world’s largest solar power plants in the world, in Aswan, Egypt, 19 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    Facing challenges: Egypt may also have less of an incentive to invest in renewables as it grapples with an economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Russia's war in Ukraine and a years-long government crackdown on dissent. Last month, Cairo reached a preliminary deal with the International Monetary Fund that would allow access to a $3 billion loan
  • Farmer in Nile Delta using a horse-drawn plough (photo: AFP/Getty Images)
    Despite low C02 emissions: climate change is already impacting the Nile River Delta. Rising sea levels have brought on creeping salt that eats away roots and cakes farms, devastating the livelihoods of Egyptian farmers. Levels of urban pollution are also high. Egypt’s densely packed neighbourhoods along the banks of the Nile and its delta are clogged with traffic and diesel-fuelled public transport
  • Traffic at a Cairo intersection (source: YouTube screenshot)
    Cleaner air needed: on average, Egyptians' exposure to air pollution is 13 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended guidelines. This led to 90,559 premature deaths in 2019, according to statistics gathered by the United Nations. Cairo is the second top source of greenhouse gas emissions, after the giant offshore Zohr gas field
  • Engineers drive an electric powered car as they monitor the photovoltaic solar panels at Benban Solar Park, one of world’s largest solar power plant in the world, in Aswan, Egypt, 19 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    Transformative effect: the Benban solar farm has benefitted the local community. Thousands worked at the site when it was under construction, and many stayed as technicians and cleaners once it became fully functional
  • The sun sets behind photovoltaic solar panels at Benban Solar Park, one of the world’s largest solar power plant in the world, in Aswan, Egypt, 19 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    The sun as a source of power: 90% of Egypt is uninhabitable desert. Making better use of this vast expanse and coastlines could enable the North African country to generate over half of its electricity from renewables by 2030, says the Dubai-based International Renewable Energy Agency
  • A vehicle drives near wind turbines at Lekela wind power station, near the Red Sea city of Ras Ghareb, some 300 km from Cairo, Egypt, 12 October 2022 (photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    A question for government: ultimately, the development of Egypt’s wind and solar capabilities will come down to what makes business sense for the Cairo administration, despite its expressions of good intent, says Chatham House expert el-Gendy. “The need to expand its renewable sector all depends on Egypt's commercial interests”