Benban Solar Park is a
photovoltaic power station
A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building- ...
with a total capacity of 1650 MW
nominal power
Nominal power is a power capacity in engineering.
Radio broadcasting
Nominal power is a measurement of a mediumwave radio station's output used in the United States.
Photovoltaic devices
Nominal power is the nameplate capacity of photovoltaic ( ...
which corresponds to an annual production of approximately 3.8 TWh. It is located in
Benban (
Aswan Governorate
Aswān Governorate (Arabic: محافظة أسوان) is one of the governorates of Egypt. The southernmost governorate in Upper Egypt, covering most of Lake Nasser. The Governorate's capital is Aswan.
The Aswan Governorate borders Qena Governor ...
) in the western desert, approximately 650 km south of Cairo and 40 km northwest of
Aswan
Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate.
Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...
.
Benban is currently the
4th largest solar power plant in the world.
Overview
In September 2014, the project was initiated as part of Egyptian government's Sustainable Energy Strategy 2035. Initially,
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
had aided in finding the best location to establish the solar park.
Benban Solar Park located on an area of which is subdivided into 41 separate plots arranged in 4 rows with each plot range in size from to . Each plot will be available to different companies to develop 41 plants.
The 41 plants in the Benban solar park will be connected to the high voltage network through four new
substations, which will be constructed on the site by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC). These substations will in turn connect to an existing 220
kV line, which passes near the Benban Site at a distance of approximately 12 km. At a later stage EETC may also construct an additional connection to the neighbouring 500 kV line.
According to measurements reported in the environmental & social assessment report
the solar site resource is approximately 2,300 kWh/(m
2-yr). Assuming a peak insolation of 1000 W/m
2 this translates to a potential plant capacity factor of approximately 26%, i.e. the average capacity will be 26% of the nameplate capacity. If the planned capacity of 1,8 GW is utilized the potential annual energy production will be slightly more than 4 TWh/yr.
The Benban Solar Park is a part of Egypt’s Nubian Suns
Feed-in Tariff
A feed-in tariff (FIT, FiT, standard offer contract,Couture, T., Cory, K., Kreycik, C., Williams, E., (2010)Policymaker's Guide to Feed-in Tariff Policy Design National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy advanced renewable tariff, ...
program, which is a major initiative to influence private sector capital and expertise, in order to support the goal of generating 20% electricity from renewable resources by 2022.
The solar park is so large that it is visible from space.
Finance
On 13 March 2018, ib vogt and Infinity Solar inaugurated the first part of the complex in the presence of the Egyptian Energy Minister, Prof. Dr.
Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi ( ar, محمد شاكر المرقبي) is an Egyptian engineer and government official. He was chosen by Engineer Ibrahim Mahlab minister to take over the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy. He is Moha ...
. With an output of 64.1
MWp MWp or MWP may refer to:
* Medieval Warm Period, a time of warm climate in the North Atlantic region
* Mega Watt peak, a solar power measure in photo-voltaic (PV) industry to describe a unit's Nominal power (photovoltaic)#Watt-peak, nominal power
* ...
, it is also the country's first large-scale photovoltaic power plant. The project obtained financing from
Bayerische Landesbank (BLB) for 85% of the debt, with the remaining 15% coming from (AAIB). The German government has provided an Euler Hermes export credit guarantee (ECG), covering the BLB loan. As part of the German foreign trade promotion programme, it thus supports Egypt's goal of meeting more than a third of its energy requirements by 2035 through renewable energies.
At the end of January 2019, ib vogt commenced construction of a portfolio of three additional solar power plants with a total capacity of 166.5
MWp MWp or MWP may refer to:
* Medieval Warm Period, a time of warm climate in the North Atlantic region
* Mega Watt peak, a solar power measure in photo-voltaic (PV) industry to describe a unit's Nominal power (photovoltaic)#Watt-peak, nominal power
* ...
in Benban, Aswan Governorate, Egypt. The project partners – an international conglomerate consisting of ib vogt, Infinity Solar, Phoenix Energy and BPE Partners – achieved financial close at the end of October. Debt financing amounting to USD 146 Million was secured for these projects. For the “BSEP 50” and “MMID 30” installations financing has been provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Dutch Development Bank (FMO) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank that aims to improve economic and social outcomes in Asia. The bank currently has 105 members, including 14 prospective members from around the world. The br ...
(AIIB) and the CDC Group provided the financing for the “Phoenix 50” project.
The
International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of t ...
led a consortium of
Africa Development Bank,
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank that aims to improve economic and social outcomes in Asia. The bank currently has 105 members, including 14 prospective members from around the world. The br ...
,
Arab Bank of Bahrain
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...
,
CDC Group
British International Investment, (formerly CDC Group plc, Commonwealth Development Corporation, and Colonial Development Corporation) is the development finance institution of the UK government. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ...
,
Europe Arab Bank
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
,
Green for Growth Fund,
FinnFund,
ICBC
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC; ) is a Chinese multinational bank.
Founded as a limited company on 1 January 1984, ICBC is a state-owned commercial bank. With capital provided by the Ministry of Finance of China, the b ...
, and
OeEB of Austria by pledging US$653 million to finance building and operating 13 plants by six groups of private power companies, including,
TAQA Arabia,
Shapoorji Energy, a subsidiary of
Shapoorji Pallonji Group
Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Private Limited, trading as Shapoorji Pallonji Group, is an Indian conglomerate company, headquartered in Mumbai. It operates in construction, real estate, textiles, engineered goods, home appliances, shipping, pu ...
and
Acciona Energy
Acciona, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational conglomerate dedicated to the development and management of infrastructure (construction, water, industrial and services) and renewable energy. The company, via subsidiary Acciona Energy, produces 21 te ...
. The 13 solar power plants, which are expected to have a peak power of 752
MW, will cost US$823 million in total.
Assuming a capacity factor of 26% this corresponds to an annual production of 1,75 TWh/yr.
Also the
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) is an international financial institution which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement guarantees. These guarantees help investors protect foreign direct investments against ...
, will provide US$210 million in political risk insurance to 12 projects within Benban.
See also
*
Energy in Egypt
This article describes the energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Egypt.
Overview
Electrical power
Egypt is classified as having a “high power system size (24,700 MW installed generation capacity in 2010 with more ...
References
{{reflist
Solar power stations in Egypt
Buildings and structures in Aswan Governorate