Name of the Project
Gestamp 2 solar project.

Location
The project is located in Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Agency’s (NREA’s) 8 GW, 37.2 km2 Benban 1 photovoltaic (PV) solar park, which comprises 39 separate PV plots.

Client
TK for Solar and Renewable Energy Systems SAE, comprising AlTawakol Electrical Company, X-ELIO Energy and Spectrum International for Renewable Energy (formerly Gestamp Solar).

Project Description
The project is part of the first regulatory round of the Egyptian government’s Feed-In Tariff Programme, which aims to procure 4 300 MW of renewable-energy capacity.

It entails the construction of a 20 MW PV plant.

The project will consist of a 77 280-PV-panel, single-axis tracking system, with a nominal capacity of 21.1 MW ac and a peak capacity of 24.343 MW dc. Power will be transferred to an inverter and fed into the utility power grid system through the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) substation.

NREA, through the facilities management company, will provide the project with access roads, water and wastewater services, waste management services, logistics and security services, as well as worker accommodation, all of which will be developed once the facilities management company is appointed.

The project includes the construction of a 1 km underground, 22 kV transmission line, connecting the project to the nearest of four EETC high-voltage substations on the south-eastern corner of the Benban PV solar park.

The substation will be connected by a high-voltage line to the 220 kV high-voltage overhead line, located about 12 km east of the Benban PV site.

All electricity generated by the project will be sold to EETC under a 25-year power purchase agreement.

The project’s underground transmission line right of way will follow the route of internal Benban PV site roads and will be installed by EETC from the project boundary to Substation 4.

Water for the project will be supplied by groundwater wells licensed by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, which will be built and owned by the El Motaheda company and the Benban community.

Water distribution in the Benban PV solar park will be managed by the park’s facilities management company.

Jobs to be Created
The project expects to employ up to 300 workers during construction and five during operation of the project; in addition, there will be three security personnel and a team of ten workers undertaking PV panel cleaning.

Value
The total project cost is estimated at up to $54-million.

Duration
Project procurement and construction will be undertaken between the third quarter of 2016 and the third quarter of 2017.

The plant will be operational for 25 years, with options to extend the lease after that date.

Latest Developments
The selected engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) contractor for the project is a joint venture (JV) between Elecnor & Consolidated Contractors.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Elecnor & Consolidated Contractors JV (EPC and O&M).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
X-ELIO Energy and Spectrum International for Renewable Energy project manager Carla Di Tillio, tel +39 366 631 78 26 or
email carla.ditillio@x-elio.com.
Elecbor, email prensa@elecnor.es.