Cairo: Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat has announced that Egypt is progressing with its plan to expand battery energy storage facilities as part of the national electricity grid, a development that has been underway over the past two years. He also highlighted that work is advancing on a pumped-storage hydropower project in the Al-Tor area of South Sinai, aimed at fortifying the electricity system by incorporating diverse generation sources and grid-security mechanisms to ensure a stable power supply across Egypt's unified grid.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Esmat's remarks were made during a meeting with a delegation from the Renergy Group consortium. The consortium includes Renergy Group Partners, Green Tech Egypt, and OAK Holdings. The delegation was led by Renergy Group founder Robert Falk and Madkour Group Chairman Mustafa Madkour. The minister emphasized that the ministry's program aligns with the state's energy-transition strategy, focusing on renewable energy projects while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Esmat elaborated on the efforts to maximize Egypt's geographic advantages, especially in pumped-storage electricity generation, managing and investing in these resources to enhance energy sustainability and provide clean energy solutions. He commended the contributions of both local and foreign private-sector partners in moving these projects forward under Egypt's national energy strategy.
During the meeting, Esmat reviewed the progress of the pumped-storage hydropower project and discussed a joint study conducted with the ministry's team. The discussion covered options and steps necessary to implement the project, which includes solar power plants and hydropower facilities in the Sinai Peninsula. The findings of the studies were also aligned with the electricity sector's strategy to increase renewable energy's share in the energy mix, supporting the national grid with clean and stable power sources.
Esmat was briefed on the project's scenarios, technical and financial feasibility, technology to be employed, and grid connection via the pumped-storage facility, which aims to provide a stable generating capacity. Discussions also touched on the project's investment volume, the share of local components, and its electricity-generating capacity, which will be rolled out in two phases with a total capacity of 3,100 megawatts.