Egypt’s New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) has invited consultants to submit proposals for the contract to provide a feasibility study for a planned 50MW photovoltaic (PV) solar plant at Zafarana.

Consultants have until 3 September to submit bids. The selected firm will provide technical, financial and economic feasibility studies for the proposed plant.

The project will form part of Egypt’s plan for renewable energy to account for 20 per cent of total energy produced by 2022. This will include the development of 2,870MW of solar energy.

A significant amount of the capacity will be developed under Egypt’s feed-in tariff (FiT) programme, which is planned to involve the installation of 4.3GW of wind and solar capacity.

MEED recently reported that Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power had won deals to develop three projects under the second round of the FiT programme.

Acwa Power will develop, finance, build, own and operate three PV solar facilities with a total capacity of 165.5MW. The total investment required will be about $190m.

The three projects will be located in the Aswan province in Benban, and will have the capacity to generate 67.5MW, 70MW and 28MW individually. The projects are expected to reach financial close by the fourth quarter of 2017, with construction due to start by the end of the year. The plants are due to start operation in 2018. The local Hassan Allam Holding is Acwa Power’s partner for the 67.5MW scheme.

Acwa Power is the second Saudi developer to sign contracts to deliver PV solar plants under the second round of the FiT programme.

MEED reported in May that Alfanar Energy had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) to develop a 50MW PV solar plant under the second round of the FiT scheme.

Alfanar will also develop the 50MW facility at the proposed 1.8GW Benban solar complex. The Saudi company has secured $55m in non-recourse financing from the European Bank of Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD).

MEED reported in March that three developers had reached financial close for PV independent power projects (IPPs) in Benban under the first round of the programme.