Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Government's clean energy company, plans to build a wind farm along Egypt's east coast,
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The wind project near the city of Suez would generate 200 megawatts and boost the country's existing wind capacity by almost 50 per cent, according to Egypt's ministry of electricity and energy. No investment figure was given.
"We will sign an agreement tomorrow (Thursday) to establish the first joint Emirati and Egyptian venture," Aktham Aboul Ela, a senior official at the Electricity and Energy Ministry, told Reuters.
The report could not be immediately confirmed with Masdar this afternoon.
It would be Masdar's second major wind project, after the company agreed in May to take a 20 per cent stake in the €2.2 billion (Dh11.01bn) London Array offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary. That project, built together with DONG Energy of Denmark and Germany's E.ON., will generate 630mw.
Masdar's CEO, Sultan al Jaber, said last year that the firm intended to develop an expertise in wind energy, even though it is not likely to contribute to the UAE's domestic energy supply. "Since Masdar is a global player with projects in many countries, we simply cannot afford not to be in wind," he said.
