• Egypt in talks with China’s Sany to build wind turbine plant
• Recent deals include $616M solar and battery manufacturing projects
• Goal: 42% of electricity from renewables by 2030 through local production

Egypt is stepping up efforts to build a domestic manufacturing base for renewable energy equipment. After inaugurating a photovoltaic component manufacturing complex, authorities are now in talks with China’s Sany Group over the construction of a wind turbine manufacturing plant.

A Sany delegation met on Friday, Jan. 23, with Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat to discuss industrial cooperation frameworks, partnership structures and potential technology transfer related to wind turbine components.

The talks come as Egypt accelerates investment in renewable energy manufacturing. In early January, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated a solar manufacturing complex in Ain Sokhna operated by Singapore-based EliTe Solar. The facility, located in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, has a planned capacity of 5 GW and involves a $116 million investment, including production lines for 2 GW of solar cells and 3 GW of photovoltaic modules.

During a recent visit to China, Esmat also attended the signing of several agreements between Egyptian firm Kemet and Chinese manufacturers. One deal with Cornex covers the construction of a battery cell plant with an annual capacity of 5,000 MWh, at an estimated cost of $200 million. Another agreement with Suzhou Weicheng, a subsidiary of GCL Group, involves an integrated complex for producing 5 GW of solar cells and modules, with planned investment of $500 million.

The projects reflect Egypt’s push to deepen local integration across the renewable energy value chain, as it targets renewables accounting for 42% of its electricity mix by 2030.

Abdoullah Diop