Egypt has set ambitious goals for its green transition, aiming to transform into a regionalhub for green hydrogen and potentially capture between 5-8% of the global hydrogen market by 2040. The government wants to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, with the latest target being adding 28 GW of renewable energy to the country's energy mix over the next five to seven years. What are the infrastructure challenges the government has to overcome for that end? What are the obstacles facing private firms in this industry? What should the government do in order to realize its ambitious goals for green energy?

We brought together a panel of international energy and utility executives who are helping Egypt with projects to support its energy transition during this year's EnterpriseAM Finance Forum. We spoke to Hassan Allam Utilities CEO Dalia Wahba, Baker McKenzie Partner Lamyaa Gadelhak, Infinity Co-Founder and CEO Nayer Fouad, and Taqa Arabia CEO Pakinam Kafafi.

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Setting the stage: The renewable energy sector in Egypt has seen significant growth over the past five years, becoming a main destination for FDI, Wahba told us. “Today we have close to 2 GW of wind energy that's up and running. Almost 2 GW in solar and more to come,” she elaborated, attributing this progress to “a well-structured electricity sector, stable regulations, and the country's competitive advantage in renewable resources.” Despite Egypt’s small but growing contribution of 0.6% of global emissions, Egypt is a growing nation with ambitions and “no development happens without energy,” said Gadelhak.

What are the persistent infrastructure challenges we need to address? While strides have been made in expanding Egypt's electricity transmission infrastructure, including the construction of 550 kV lines and additional 220 kV lines, Fouad argues that ensuring sufficient evacuation capacity for future projects — particularly beyond next summer — is among the challenges that we need to overcome. He added that the existing transmission network requires further upgrades to accommodate increased demand from businesses, with capacity limitations currently posing further challenges.

Prepping the country’s infrastructure for the green transition — especially for green hydrogen — comes at a significant investment cost, including port infrastructure and desalination facilities, said Wahba. Even with bns of USD spent developing the current infrastructure, Wahba argued that further enhancements are necessary to support large-scale hydrogen production and export.

The government is actively working to address these issues, but financing constraints pose a challenge, according to Fouad, adding that international financial institutions will need to play a crucial role in supporting these initiatives. Kafafi suggested that scaling and R&D could be a proper approach to addressing the high cost of financing in EMs like Egypt.

What’s holding private sector players back? The private sector in Egypt faces many hurdles while transitioning to renewable energy, as self-consumption limitations and the unavailability of suitable land for new greenfield projects hinder large-scale adoption, according to Kafafi. There's a need for regulatory changes to enable the private sector to convert existing industrial facilities, especially for energy-intensive industries like cement and steel. Such a supportive regulatory framework would also work to facilitate private players entering the nascent segments of the industry, such as heat generation and captured carbon storage and utilization, which are still in the early stages.

It’s all about smart policy: Gadelhak emphasized that it's paramount to have a supportive environment for tech development in Egypt, including R&D funding, protection for intellectual property, and a conducive regulatory framework. “While Egypt has the potential to attract tech providers, the current technology transfer framework may be a barrier,” she said, suggesting that — provided these issues are resolved — could encourage more foreign investment in tech development and manufacturing facilities in Egypt.

There are other factors private players have to consider before going green on their investments here? There are three key challenges to Egypt's green hydrogen ambitions; demand, supply, and risk-sharing and finance, according to Kafafi.

Bankability is another tricky issue when it comes to green hydrogen projects, due to the high initial costs and the uncertainty surrounding long-term pricing, Fouad pointed out, suggesting that financial institutions should adopt hedging mechanisms similar to the H2 Global Program in Europe to boost the feasibility of GH2 projects. The government needs to offer more competitive incentives and support to investors compared to neighboring countries like Morocco, or investors might take their green hydrogen projects elsewhere, Fouad added.

Would it help if the gov’t is more bullish on GH2 projects? “Government participation in green hydrogen projects is not a universal determinant of bankability,” said Gadelhak, arguing that whether to deem government involvement participation in these projects beneficial or not relies on several factors, such as the project's overall risk profile.

But Wahba believes that government participation can also be beneficial in addressing financing challenges, particularly for long-term projects and commodity-based industries. Government support can help secure financing from banks and reduce the risk associated with these investments and government initiatives can stimulate demand for green hydrogen by implementing policies and regulations that promote its use in various sectors, she explained.

How are we performing on the batteries and storage front? While battery costs are decreasing, government support through grants remains important for widespread adoption. Storage is crucial for integrating renewable energy into the grid. However, Egypt is still in the early stages of implementing battery storage solutions at scale, according to Wahba.

What could be done to elevate this segment of green transition? It's essential that Egypt develops its own battery manufacturing capabilities to compete with different markets, especially China, Fouad suggested. Setting up such factories here would require significant government support, including tax incentives and subsidies.

What does the recently released national strategy for low-carbon hydrogen mean for the sector? Wahba said that the strategy lacks the “how to”, arguing that the strategy outlines general goals, but the specific strategies and mechanisms for achieving them remain unclear. She emphasized the need for the strategy to address issues such as certification processes, grid infrastructure, and export market requirements.

Despite the challenges, the panel remained optimistic about Egypt's energy transition. “By focusing on the long-term savings and positive impact on our balance sheets, we can justify the necessary investments and incentives,” Kafafi concluded.

Your top infrastructure stories for the week:

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  • Companies want to help set shipping waste management company: Port Said Chamber of Navigation received 40 applications from companies interested in participating in the establishment of the first Egyptian joint-stock company in the shipping waste management sector with investments of EGP 100 mn. The project is expected to begin operations in December. (Al Borsa)
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