- German project developer, investor, EPC and O&M contractor ib vogt has commissioned three solar PV plants totaling 166.5 MWp at Benban solar development complex near Aswan, Egypt.
- The PV plants “MMID 30”, “Phoenix 50” and “BSEP 50” extend over a combined area of 270 ha, on which more than 500,000 solar panels were mounted on horizontal tracking systems.
- Each year over 400,000 MWh of electricity is produced, enough to supply the demand of approximately 127,000 local households and save 178,000 t of CO2 emissions annually.
- The power generated is delivered to the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) on the basis of a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
- ib vogt is acting as operation and maintenance (O&M) contractor for the facilities.
“We are very pleased to announce the successful delivery of these solar plants, which complete our 230.6 MWp portfolio in the Benban complex. This is the result of several years of preparation and execution by our partners Infinity Solar, Phoenix Energy and BPE partners as well as a very dedicated team. We would also like to thank all stakeholders, authorities and the community of Benban for their support, specifically the EETC. Special thanks is due to our financing partners from the ERBD and IFC, who have a big stake in making this landmark infrastructure project possible.” says Anton Milner, Managing Director of ib vogt GmbH.
Completing these projects came with a steep learning curve and required adaption to the remote desert conditions of the Benban solar complex. In response to the extremely dry climate with very high temperatures working hours had to start at 4 AM and weather events like sandstorms had to be dealt with multiple times a month.
The experience of constructing and maintaining multi-hundred MWp of projects under these harsh conditions resulted in valuable know-how. This experience will be applied in areas with comparable conditions.
At 1.8 GWp total capacity, the Benban solar complex is one of the world’s largest. It is a crucial part of Egypt’s plan to meet 20 per cent of its electricity demand through renewable energies by 2022.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Source: ib vogt
