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Egypt’s authorities has reaffirmed its plans to launch a subsea electrical energy cable with Greece to allow electrical energy from Egyptian photo voltaic services to provide the nation and the broader European vitality market.
Egypt’s international minister Sameh Shoukry met together with his counterpart from Greece on the UN Common Meeting final week for discussions on the so-called GREGY interconnector.
The plans are being spearheaded by the Copelouzos Group, a Greek conglomerate, and Infinity Energy – a three way partnership between UAE-based renewable vitality agency Masdar and Egyptian firm Infinity.
The interconnector would be capable of transmit 3,000 MW of photo voltaic and wind vitality generated by Infinity Energy to Greece through a subsea energy cable that will likely be round 1,400km lengthy.
The undertaking “supplies an amazing alternative” for Europe, says Carlos Torres, head of gasoline and energy markets analysis at consulting agency Rystad Power. He notes that the continent is at present doing “all the pieces that’s doable” to scale back its dependence on fossil fuels.
“Egypt has significantly better circumstances that the majority of Europe for growing photo voltaic programs,” Torres factors out. Certainly, a 2020 World Financial institution examine confirmed that Egypt and different nations within the Center East and North Africa boast the world’s best photo voltaic vitality potential, whereas northern European nations have among the many least beneficial circumstances for photo voltaic.
Whereas Europe’s scramble for energy has been well-documented for the reason that Russian invasion of Ukraine, Egypt has its personal energy wants. The nation has suffered a collection of blackouts this summer time, highlighting a long-term failure to spend money on vitality for its rising inhabitants.
Nevertheless, with a number of vitality tasks at present below development – together with the nation’s first nuclear energy station – Torres believes that Egypt will take pleasure in a extra “snug scenario” sooner or later, enabling it to satisfy home provide whereas additionally exporting energy.
Mediterranean vitality street
The GREGY interconnector is considered one of a number of schemes designed to attach North Africa with Europe. There are already two subsea cables that transmit electrical energy between Morocco and Spain. A number of different tasks are within the planning levels, together with a variety of schemes to provide energy from Tunisia to Italy.
The GREGY interconnector, if constructed, could be longer than any subsea transmission line at present in operation. It might be virtually twice so long as the present document holder, a not too long ago accomplished hyperlink between Denmark and Britain.
However GREGY could be smaller than different schemes on the drafting board, notably a proposed cable that may provide electrical energy generated in Morocco on to the British electrical energy grid.
This undertaking, being developed by UK-based start-up Xlinks, would require an undersea cable extending 3,800km across the western fringe of Europe. The intense size of the connection would improve the quantity of electrical energy misplaced throughout transmission, even when latest technological enhancements cut back transmission losses.
The GREGY interconnector’s strategy seems extra sensible, because it takes electrons generated in Egypt to the closest level on the European mainland – from the place the ability might be provided to different European nations.
Whereas builders are using a wide range of approaches, there appears little doubt North Africa’s photo voltaic assets will proceed to attract the gaze of power-hungry European governments as they scour the world for inexperienced alternate options to Russian gasoline.
“It’s probably that we’ll be seeing increasingly high-voltage, long-distance connections”, says Torres.
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