Cairo – Mubasher: Hitachi ABB Power Grids is supporting Egypt's largest wind power project by providing predictive maintenance for 220/33 kilovolt (kV) grid connection for Orascom Construction, a co-owner of the plant with ENGIE Africa and Toyota Tsusho, according to a statement on Thursday. 

Developers commissioned the 262.5-megawatt (MW), 125-turbine Ras Ghareb wind generation plant, located at the Gulf of Suez about 30 kilometres (km) northwest of Ras Ghareb, to generate enough renewable wind energy to power 500,000 Egyptian households.

This step supports Egypt’s effort to meet the growing power demand by increasing investment in the power sector and diversifying its energy mix, aiming at adding about seven gigawatts (GW) of clean wind power capacity by 2022. 

"The committed support from the local team from Hitachi ABB Power Grids during and after the substation project execution in combination with a high technical competence and capacity to squeeze the project timetable in support of the energising schedule has been of utmost importance and encouraged us to sign a service agreement contract with Hitachi ABB Power Grids for the substation and balance of plant (BoP) maintenance and troubleshooting,” said Sameh El-Alfy, Wind Farm O&M Director at Ras Ghareb Wind Energy (RGWE).