Developers have submitted prequalification entries for three build-own-operate (BOO) renewables projects in Egypt.

Egypt’s New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) received prequalification entries from 21 developers for a 250MW wind project on 5 October.

On 12 October, 41 companies submitted prequalification entries for a 200MW photovoltaic (PV) solar project and 14 firms entered prequalification documents for a 50MW concentrated solar power (CSP) scheme.

All three renewables projects will be located in the West Nile area of Egypt.

Developers will design, finance, construct and own the plants under a BOO contract. The selected developer will sign a power-purchase agreement (PPA) with the Egypt Electricity Transmission Company (EETC).

The three BOO schemes are running simultaneously with Egypt’s 4,300MW feed-in-tariff programme. Under this programme, Egypt is planning to develop 4,300MW of renewable energy. This is scheduled to comprise 2,000MW of solar PV projects and 300MW of rooftop solar PV projects. NREA and the Electricity & Renewable Energy Ministry are planning to award the contracts for all of the first-phase projects by the end of 2016.

MEED reported in September that NREA was finalising the PPAs for its feed-in-tariff on its renewable energy programme and was expecting to reach financial close for the first projects by the first quarter of 2016.

“We are about to finalise the PPAs,” said Mohammed Salah el-Sobki, executive chairman, NREA, speaking at the Global Solar Leaders Summit in Dubai on 14 September.

“We are a bit delayed as we were waiting for feedback from developers, but now we are working with the [electricity] ministry and the EETC [Egypt Electricity Transmission Company] to finalise the agreements. We are hoping for financial closure for the first projects by the end of the year, or by the first quarter of 2016 at the latest,” said El-Sobki.

In June, NREA signed memorandum of understandings (MOUs) with a number of groups for land allocation for solar and wind projects under the feed-in-tariff programme.