Egypt & Libya collaborating to improve energy exchanges between the two countries

Since 1998, Egypt and Libya have been linked by a power line. This line adds 200 megawatts of power to Libya’s national grid. The Egyptian government plans to raise the capacity to 450 megawatts. A possibility that could aid reconstruction efforts in a country that has been ravaged by turmoil since the revolution and NATO interference in 2011.

“The power line linking Egypt and Libya will supply up to 450 MW, and there are proposals to expand this capacity to 1,000 MW in the future,” says Egypt’s minister of electricity and renewable energy, Mohammed Shaker El-Markabi.

Egypt already has the largest solar complex on the African continent. The plant, which has a capacity of 1,650 MWp, is located in Benban, Aswan’s governorate. This massive project was entirely built by independent power producers (IPPs) who sell their electricity to the utility. Other ventures being developed by these private companies include Kom Ombo (200 MWp) and Zaafarana (50 MWp).

IPPs still use wind energy, but they focus their installations in the Gulf of Suez, potentially obstructing migratory birds. Egypt, on the other hand, exports its surplus output to countries like Libya, Sudan, Jordan and soon Iraq because its entire population has access to electricity.