Enara to supply renewable energy to 1.5 mn feddans project under contract with ECDC: Enara Energy will generate and distribute 400 MW of renewable energy to farms and businesses in El Moghrah and westernmost Minya as part of the 1.5-mn feddans desert reclamation project, according to a company press release (pdf). Enara was awarded the contract last week by the company in charge of the project, the Egyptian Countryside Development Company (ECDC). Alongside greening the desert … “[the 1.5 mn feddans project] is also creating industrial clusters for food and beverage, packaging and oil, housing units, as well as health and education services,” Enara said.

Background: The 1.5 mn feddan project was announced by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in 2015 as one of several national mega projects. The project involves tendering a vast expanse of land in the Western Desert to qualified investors and aims to increase the size of Egypt’s arable land by 20%. The ECDC is currently accepting bids for land in Al Farafra, El Moghrah, and further west from the western tip of Minya. So far, 150k feddans were awarded to agricultural investors, ECDC Chairman and CEO Ater Hanoura recently said, according to Amwal Al Ghad.

Correction (6/7/2020): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that French energy company Total had been awarded the contract alongside Enara.