Lekela’s 250MW West Bakr Wind farm in Egypt has reached financial close. Mott MacDonald was the lender’s technical advisor on the project to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
West Bakr Wind farm is located 30km north of Ras Ghareb and 225km south of Cairo. The project is being constructed under a build-own-operate (BOO) scheme and will supply clean power to the Egyptian grid through a take-or-pay power purchase agreement with the national electrical utility, Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC).
Mott MacDonald undertook technical due diligence of the wind project, as well as an overall technical risk assessment. The consultancy will continue its role during construction monitoring.
Alvaro Perez, Mott MacDonald’s project manager, said “It’s fantastic to be working on this project which will positively impact the economies of the surrounding local communities in Egypt by supplying clean, renewable power for 20 years. It’s great to be involved in a project which is helping Egypt to meet its renewable energy targets.”
The Egyptian government has set targets for renewables to make up 42% of the country’s electricity mix by 2035, based on rapid solar and wind deployment.
Mott MacDonald has previously worked with long-term owner-operator Lekela on wind projects in Ghana and South Africa totalling 525MW.