Egypt is set to start construction of West Bakr wind farm in Gulf of Suez. The project will be part of the government’s Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) scheme and will start operating in 2021.
West Bakr wind project
The wind farm will have 96 SG 2.6-114 turbines which will be provided by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy where each turbine will be mounted on a 400m³ concrete foundations with 144m-diameter rotor and 56m-long blades. Each turbine will have 10,207m² swept areas and a rated capacity of 2.62MW.
The SG 2.6-114 turbines will be designed for medium to high wind speeds. The company will also build and commission the wind farm through a turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract. The contractual scope will include a 15-year maintenance and service agreement.
The electricity generated by each turbine will be transmitted to an on-site collector substation, from where it will be evacuated to the national grid through a new 30km-long 220kV overhead transmission line connecting to a 500kV/200kV substation. Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) will help in the development of transmission infrastructure.
Also read:Gulf of Suez wind farm project in Egypt to be complete by October
Other facilities
Other infrastructure facilities for the wind farm will include an operation and maintenance (O&M) building, a diesel generator and associated tank, wastewater and potable water storage tanks, and a permanent meteorological mast.
Benefits
Once completed, the project will produce over 1,000GWh of electricity per year and power more than 350,000 homes. The project will also help increase Egypt’s wind energy capacity by 14%, as the country strives to meet its target of generating 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022; which includes a 67% partnership with the private sector.
The project will also provide opportunities for employment locally and increase socio-economic activities in the surrounding area, while helping diversify the energy mix and provide more competitively priced power in the country.
