Cairo Airport going solar with support of UNDP

19 / 08 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

The Cairo International Airport is going green as it will be operated by solar energy within the framework of the state’s efforts to protect the environment and reduce carbon footprint.

The Egyptian Ministries of Environment, Civil Aviation, Trade and Industry signed a cooperation protocol to implement a solar power plant connected to the grid and chargers equipped with solar-powered display screens at the Cairo International Airport.

The project will be implemented in tandem with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar said all Egyptian airports will be eco-friendly in order to achieve sustainable development goals and protect the environment.

Hend Farouh, the director of Egypt PV of the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC), said the solar plant will operate at a 300-kilowatt capacity.

Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said the ministry is giving a priority to integrating the environmental dimension into the civil aviation sector in order to develop more sustainable airports.

The project will rely on stations at certain locations to operate chargers, Fouad said.

The scheme is meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save electricity and underscore commitment to sustainable energy, Fouad added.

Trade Minister Nevine Gamea said the cooperation protocol promotes the ministry’s efforts to localize the manufacturing of components for solar power plants.

Gamea added that this pioneering project will positively affect the image of Cairo Airport as it goes in line with the global trend of airports aiming at relying on new energies, especially renewable energy.

Gamea noted that the project coincides with implementing the solar power plant at Cairo Railway Station, thus highlighting the government’s keenness to use renewable energy in public facilities.

For his part, Sylvain Merlin, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Egypt, stated that “Cairo International Airport will be a guiding model for all private and public facilities in integrating and improving energy efficiency with renewable energies.”