Cairo - Mubasher: Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) and the Alexandria Port Authority has signed an agreement with Belgium’s DEME HYPORT Energy for a major green hydrogen and ammonia production project in Gargoub, west of Matrouh.

The project will be led by an international coalition headed by DEME, with a total investment of EUR 24 billion across three phases, according to a cabinet statement.

The first phase alone, costing EUR 3 billion, aims to produce two million tons of green ammonia annually.

Egyptian Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir emphasised that the first phase's cost will be fully financed by DEME. 

The project spans 1,180 square kilometres (km²) for solar and wind energy generation, located 70 km from the Gargoub port, with six km² allocated for the factory across the three phases. 

Additionally, there will be a 70 km electricity transmission path and a seven km² area for infrastructure, including a 670-meter-long sea dock at the Garjoub port. 

The project, part of the strategic plan for the Garjoub Special Economic Zone, will foster sustainable development by localising green hydrogen and ammonia industries and attracting major international companies.

It will create thousands of jobs during its development, construction, and operational phases. It also aims to reach 95% local employment through comprehensive training programmes. 

The project's agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Egypt-EU Investment Conference 2024, which is held between 29 and 30 June in Cairo.

In May 2024, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) unveiled plans to expand its green hydrogen production in Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) and along the Mediterranean coast.