Siemens Gamesa will supply turbines totaling 250 MW for the West Bakr Lekela wind farm in Egypt.

Under the terms of the agreement, Siemens will install 96 2.6-114 machines through a turnkey contract and provide long-term maintenance through a 15-year service contract. Delivery of the first turbines will be in mid-2020 and the project is expected to be fully operational in 2021. All civil work and most electrical and logistical work will be carried out by local subcontractors and the majority of wind turbine towers will be produced in Egypt.

Valuing the local economy

In total, 70% of the construction scope of the project will be delivered by local subcontractors, which will also help to strengthen the local economy (see an example from Piauí here), said Siemens Gamesa. A power purchase agreement and a grid connection agreement were signed by Lekela with the Electricity Transmission Company of Egypt and the New and Renewable Energy Company Authority earlier this year, the company added.

The project is situated 30 km northwest of Ras el Ghareb in the Gulf of Suez region and will produce over 1000 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.

Siemens Gamesa's chief executive on land, Alfonso Faubel, said: “We are proud to have been selected to contribute to the ambitious renewable energy targets that the government has set for the coming years.

"Our aim is to support the government to deliver a lasting and lasting impact to our communities, environmentally, economically and socially."

Lekela Chief Executive Chris Antonopoulos said: “It is great to work closely with Siemens Gamesa on Lekela's first project in Egypt.

“We are proud to participate in the diversification of Egypt's generation capacity by offering best-in-class clean energy projects.

“As a long-term operator, we are focused on delivering lasting impact, which is why we focus on creating comprehensive generation benefits for local communities.”