German renewable energy firm Ib vogt has started construction work on solar projects in Egypt, which have a total capacity of 166.5MW.

The German firm is part of an international consortium, with the local Infinity Solar, Lebanon’s Phoenix Energy and the local BPE Partners, developing the three solar projects, which are part of Egypt’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) renewable energy programme. IB Vogt is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the planned solar plants.

MEED reported in October that the consortium had reached financial close for the projects, which were secured under the second round of the FIT programme. These are the first projects under the second round that construction work has commenced.

Cairo has set a long-term target of 44 per cent of energy to come from renewable sources by 2030, one of the most ambitious targets in the region, with an earlier target of 14 per cent to come from wind and solar by 2022.