Green Business in Egypt

Green business practices and renewable energy are not only essential for environmental preservation, but also critical for economic prosperity and societal well-being, and many countries have recognized the impact of these practices on the development of a cleaner environment. In the last ten years, many countries have taken serious steps towards implementing new projects using their renewable energy sources.  In Africa, Egypt is taking the leading role for its unique geographical location, demography, energy sources, and legislative framework governing green business practices.

Egypt has a unique geographic location, which serves as a crossroad connecting three major continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe). Its growing population drives people to immigrate and get introduced to the latest technologies in various fields. Green energy is one, which will ultimately help create more job opportunities related to this field.  Egyptian land, lying between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, as well as its moderate climate, encourages the use of renewable energy, as the River Nile and Lake Nasser alone do not meet the demands of the increasingly growing population. The Egyptian government is taking significant steps to use all its natural resources to develop the green energy business and create more job opportunities to boost foreign investment in this field.

The Egyptian Government created a legislative framework for using renewables (water, wind, and green hydrogen), and creating green jobs. To meet the need for water, it uses treated agricultural and sewage wastewater for irrigation and industrial purposes, and desalination of seawater along with the river Nile to meet the need for fresh potable water. The government also encouraged many businesses to rely on solar and wind energy to generate electricity and use green hydrogen instead of fossil fuel, thus decarbonizing the air for a cleaner environment.

Egypt has undertaken several significant projects related to water resources management by strategically integrating water, food security, and energy policies according to the 2030 agenda for water efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in the Near East and North Africa region. The Egyptian government aims to improve natural water, create new water resources, and upgrade infrastructure modernization by upgrading irrigation systems and facilities and treating wastewater to be used in irrigation and industry. Also, significant steps have been taken to improve potable water availability by establishing coastal desalination plants.

Egypt has a moderate climate with sun almost all year round. Solar energy can be used to create another source of electricity along with water-generated electricity from the High Dam. The government encourages investment in this field that will create many job opportunities and potential for foreign investment. This was achieved by encouraging new private sector companies to emerge by reducing panel prices and tax tariffs related to activities in this field, and solar plants have been established in several places.

Egypt enjoys an abundance of wind energy, particularly in the Gulf of Suez, where wind speed exceeds 10 m/sec, as well as the southwestern Nile bank, and South of the western desert, where wind speeds are also favorable for electricity generation. As of 2020/2021, wind energy projects have been implemented and managed by the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) in addition to another private project that produces 250 MW. National and international efforts are exerted to scale up the capacity of wind-generated electricity. The Egyptian government is encouraging the use of this energy by enacting new laws and regulations, facilitating access to land for wind developers, providing zero customs duties on wind equipment, implementing the build-own-operate (BOO) model for developers, supporting power purchase agreements, and assisting with environmental, social, and defense clearances.


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Another effective source of electricity that the Egyptian government is working on, is green hydrogen. Egypt extensively uses gray hydrogen, produced from natural gas using steam methane reforming (SMR), in its key industries. Gas used for hydrogen production is about 13% of Egypt’s domestic gas consumption CO2 emissions are not decreased during the process. The potential introduction of green hydrogen can help the country decarbonize its industry and fulfill climate targets. In November 2022, at COP27, the Egyptian Government announced the national low-carbon hydrogen strategic framework. Egypt strives to play a leading role in supplying hydrogen and derivatives and to become a hub for low-carbon hydrogen. Egypt is now undertaking several actions towards developing low-carbon hydrogen initiatives and projects.  UNIDO’s Program for Hydrogen in Industry supports the country with technical assessments at the pre-feasibility level to identify viable opportunities in the Egyptian ammonia sector for green hydrogen application. The Italian Government and other national and multinational companies collaborate with UNIDO on this matter. UNIDO supports the country with technical assessments at the pre-feasibility level to identify viable opportunities for green hydrogen application in the Egyptian ammonia sector. The project aims to assess the potential for a low-carbon hydrogen market in Egypt, strengthen the country’s readiness for market development, and promote its use for industry decarbonization.

In all, Egypt’s efforts in using clean and renewable energy, not only contribute to environmental preservation but also promote economic growth, job creation, and societal well-being. Its proactive approach serves as a model for other countries seeking to develop their renewable energy resources and green business practices.

References

  • [29/03/2024 01:35 PM] David Nakhla:

    https://erf.org.eg/publications/green-jobs-and-the-future-of-work-in-egypt-a-focus-on-the-agriculture-and-renewable-energy-sectors/

  • [29/03/2024 02:03 PM] David Nakhla:
    http://sdsegypt2030.com/?lang=en#:~:text=The%20new%20Egypt%20will%20possess,and%20humans%20to%20achieve%20sustainable
  • http://sdsegypt2030.com/?lang=en#:~:text=The%20new%20Egypt%20will%20possess,and%20humans%20to%20achieve%20sustainable
  • https://hydrogen.unido.org/egypt
  • https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-023-02039-w
  • https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-15265-9_18#Sec11
  • https://api-aps.aucegypt.edu/uploads/articlesAttachments/1639655030pdfEn_%20Water%20Management_BG_Final_Web.pdf
  • https://fbj.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43093-021-00091-8
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790822001021

davidnakhla@gmail.com

David Maurice Fahmy Nakhla Born in Cairo,Egypt, on the 12th day of February 1980. I joined the " ollège de la salle - Les frères" in Egypt till 1997. I speak Arabic, French and. English In the year 2000, I immigrated to Montreal city - Canada to pursue a bachelor degree in economics and graduated in November 2003. I was volunteering during my teenage years in the public service runned by St. mary Church in cairo. I always had a passion for searching after knowledge and research in different areas of life such as a: history, logic , philosophy, economics, and literature . Later, in 2016 , I completed a diploma in the Canadian Immigration law, and now I am in the private sector running my own business of economics research , consultancy. I enjoy traveling , swimming, and soccer games. I believe that knowledge is power ..."Knowledge itself is power" Francis Bacon 1597

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