Africa’s largest wind farm begins operations in Egypt’s Red Sea region

AMEA Power has commissioned a 500-megawatt (MW) wind power plant in Ras Ghareb, located in Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate. The facility is now the largest operational wind farm in Africa.

The project is a joint venture between AMEA Power, which holds a 60% stake, and the Japanese firm Sumitomo Corporation, which owns the remaining 40%. The wind farm is expected to generate 2,300 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean electricity each year—enough to power around 500,000 homes. It will help cut carbon dioxide emissions by over 1.4 million tonnes annually.

The wind farm was financed by a group of international lenders, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. Insurance for the commercial tranche was provided by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), with additional backing from Egypt’s Commercial International Bank.

The project follows the recent launch of AMEA Power’s 500MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Aswan. With both projects completed, the company has added 1GW of renewable capacity in Egypt in just six months.

The construction of the plant created a notable boost to local employment, with 800 workers engaged at its peak. The project was completed 2.5 months ahead of schedule.