Benban

About us

ABOUT BENBAN SOLAR PARK

The Benban Solar Park is a world scale solar photovoltaic power project. The park is located in Upper Egypt, some 40 km north of the city of Aswan, in the Western Desert. 32 Plots of between 20 – 50MW each are being developed and owned by international and Egyptian solar power development companies on a 37km2 plot of land that is owned by Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority. The investment is provided partly by the developer and partly using bank loans, many of which have been provided by international development finance institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Organization (IFC), Proparco and others.

 

The Park is managed by a Facilities Manager who provides shared services and site logistics and monitors compliance with site regulations. Each plot in the Park has contracted with an international or Egyptian main contractor to manage engineering, procurement and maintenance of the power plant. These contractors work with Egyptian sub-contractors, suppliers and service providers during the maintenance period. Each plot generates electricity for 25 years all of which will be procured by the Egyptian Electricity Transport Company for domestic consumption.


The entire Project is governed by international best practice in terms of environmental and social management, as contained in the IFC Performance Standards and the EBRD Performance Requirements. These best practices address risk assessment and impact management regarding topics such as: Environment, Health & Safety, Labour & Working Conditions, Stakeholder Engagement, Community Relations and Grievance Redress. A dedicated community liaison team listens and communicates continuously with the residents of the neighbouring villages on subjects such as the Project and its impacts, but also on employment and supplier opportunities.