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Record-setting wind farm comes online to power thousands of homes: 'This is the future of power generation'

The project has also delivered some local economic benefits, reportedly hiring over 800 people during peak construction.

The project has also delivered some local economic benefits, reportedly hiring over 800 people during peak construction.

Photo Credit: AMEA Power

A record-setting wind farm in Egypt is set to drive progress toward cleaner, more affordable energy across Africa — and shows how fast change can happen with the right investment and execution.

AMEA Power just brought a new kind of scale to the continent's wind energy push, Renewable Energy Magazine reported in early June.

The company has operationalized the 500-megawatt Amunet Wind Power Plant in Ras Ghareb, the northernmost municipality of Egypt's Red Sea Governorate. It's now the largest functional facility of its kind on the continent.

Per Renewable Energy, the site is expected to produce enough electricity each year to power over half a million homes. It's also expected to "[offset] 1.4 million tons of [carbon] emissions" annually.

Egypt, like so many countries around the world, has long depended on dirty energy imports like coal and oil, which come with both climate costs and unstable pricing. Adding a high-output wind facility is projected to strengthen the national grid while reducing dependency. Over time, this could bring more price stability for residents and businesses alike.

The project has also delivered some local economic benefits, reportedly hiring over 800 people during peak construction.

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This latest launch follows AMEA Power's completion of a similarly-sized solar facility in Aswan, Egypt, just months ago. Together, the two projects are set to bring 1 gigawatt of clean electricity capacity online.

Renewable Energy Magazine said the wind farm finished over two months ahead of schedule, funded by "a consortium of leading international financial institutions," including Japanese and British multinational banks as well as the private-sector branch of the World Bank Group, which is attached to the United Nations.

This could be seen as yet another example underscoring the importance of international support for the clean, affordable energy transition. Indeed, a January report from Reuters said the Egyptian government was "looking for international support to strengthen the grid." Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in late 2024 that the country was aiming to increase the renewables in its electricity mix from the then 11.5% to 42% by 2030.

"This is the future of power generation in Africa — clean, inclusive, and transformational," said Hussain Al Nowais, AMEA Power's chairman, per Renewable Energy, on the occasion of the new wind farm's launch.

Other countries are making similar moves in wind. A Kazakhstan wind farm aims to cover the energy needs of one million people. Italy's offshore wind project could boost regional energy resilience, while in the United States, Virginia's coastal turbines should support grid reliability.

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