Scatec Solar’s first bifacial project goes live in Egypt

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The EBRD told PV Tech last month a belief in bi-facial's potential prompted its backing of Scatec (Credit: Scatec Solar)

Scatec Solar has taken a bifacial PV project to commercial operation in Egypt, marking a first for the Norwegian developer.

The firm spoke of a “major milestone” after connecting to the grid the first 65MW batch of the 400MW it is working to deploy at the Benban solar complex, in the Aswan governorate.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The plant features bifacial panels supplied by LONGi; the same technology will be added to the five remaining farms, with plans for the construction of all to conclude in H2 2019.

All six are backed through 25-year PPAs with the Egyptian government and will generate a combined 870GWh of clean power, equivalent to CO2 cuts of 350,000 tonnes.

Banks bullish on bifacial

Scatec Solar’s 400MW bifacial project required US$450 million in investment, US$335 million of which was supplied by the EBRD, the UN’s Green Climate Fund, Dutch development institution FMO and the Islamic Development Bank.

Speaking to PV Tech last month, the EBRD explained its involvement in the Scatec Solar venture rests on a belief in the potential of bifacial applications across high-irradiation, high-reflection Middle East countries.

Ahmad El Mokadem, principal banker at the development institution, said bifacial’s benefits outweigh its typically higher costs but acknowledged risks do exist; the technology’s untested nature means little is known about the impacts of overheating of dual structures, he noted.

El Mokadem explained EBRD’s confidence in the project was driven by Scatec Solar’s track record and the use of “very conservative” energy yield estimates in the contract. Asked whether the bank had financed against front-generated – but not back – power, he said the arrangements were “very similar” to that description.

25 November 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe continues to be the place to leverage a network that has been made over more than 10 years, to build critical partnerships to develop solar projects throughout the region.

Read Next

July 18, 2025
Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) will see the utility aim to install 4GW of new renewable power capacity by 2035.
July 18, 2025
Decisions and actions related to the US Department of Interior (DoI) will ‘undergo elevated review’ of solar PV and wind facilities.
July 17, 2025
Corporate funding in the solar sector fell by 39% in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period last year.
July 17, 2025
Swedish solar developer OX2 has submitted plans for a 150MW solar-plus-storage project in Queensland to Australia’s EPBC Act.
July 17, 2025
Pilecom, a mechanical installer of utility-scale solar projects, has officially started work on European Energy’s 106MW Lancaster solar PV power plant in Victoria, Australia.
July 16, 2025
Supply-demand imbalances and inventory pressures have driven down prices and negatively impacted the operational performance of several listed Chinese PV companies that released their 2025 interim forecasts this week.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK