In a small village south of Cairo lies Egypt's first modern solar thermal power plant. Saving approximately 180,000 tons CO2/year, the Kuraymat Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) Power Plant is a major step for Egypt towards a better energy future.

Operating since 2011, the plant has a total generation capacity of 140 MW, including solar share of 20 MW, and saves the country approximately 5,000 tonnes of natural gas per year. The plant is owned by the Egyptian government, with financing provided by domestic and international sources.

Location:

The plant lies 92 km South of Cairo on the eastern side of the River Nile. The location was chosen for its large, flat desert land. The National Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) chose this site out of four other candidates due to the availability of good solar radiation, cooling water, natural gas, and existing grid connection.

Kuraymat is a small village in Giza with a population of 7600 people according to 2006 statistics.

Capacity Building:

According to the R&D sector director of NREA, five Egyptian engineers received special training in the US and Spain in order to gain expertise in CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) technologies. Furthermore, about 60% of the value of the plant was generated locally: the engineering, procurement, construction responsibility, and others were all performed by local contractors.

Components:

The plant consists of a solar island and a combined cycle island. The solar island consists of a parabolic trough field which spreads over an area of 130,000 square meters, capable of generating 64 MW of solar heat at a temperature of 393?^o.

As for the combined cycle island, it consists of a gas turbine, a heat recovery steam generator, a steam turbine, and a solar heat exchanger. A schematic diagram of the plant is shown below. Image courtesy: NREA.

Future Plans:

Egypt is a country with high intensity of solar radiation and very large areas of uninhabited desert at no cost. In addition, cheap labor and local industrial capabilities are widely available. According to NREA, the government plans to implement a 750 MW hybrid solar thermal plant by 2020.

Sources:

http://africanclimate.net/en/node/6954

http://www.menarec.org/resources/Kuraymat-E-+Nov.2007-CU.pdf