The government of Egypt through the ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy is set to begin the construction of an external electricity network covering an area of approximately 41,500 acres in the Toshka Lakes region of Upper Egypt.
Representing the government, the Upper Egypt Electricity Distribution Company signed a contract for the implementation of the project with El Sewedy Electric for Trading and Distribution, an Egypt based a global provider of energy, digital, and infrastructure solutions, in the presence of Osama Ali Asran, the North African country’s’ Deputy Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy.
Also Read: Egypt to transform its national electricity grid into a smart grid
The contract stipulates that El Sewedy will be responsible for the design and consultancy works, as well as the project supervision from the construction stage to its initial operation stage.
The project is expected to begin as early as next month and it is estimated to cost over US$ 6M or its whereabouts.
South Valley Development Project
The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy explained in a statement that the project is an urgent priority for the first phase of the South Valley Development Project which was started back in the 1980s. The project aims to convert an area of one million feddans of the Sahara Desert, in which the Toshka Lakes region is situated, into a land that can be used for agriculture and industry.
Additionally, the project is part of a plan to expand and increase the voltage capacity of existing stations such as the Toshka station which currently has a capacity of 220 kV that is expected to be increased to 500 kV.
This work will also include the construction of an electrical line to manage the supply to Toshka and East Owainat, which will be ready in the coming months.
The ministry said that this project comes in light of preparing the Egyptian national economy to face the challenges imposed by global and local conditions.
