Egypt targets 42% renewables by 2030

Egypt aims to reach 42% renewables in its energy mix by 2030, supported by an ambitious action plan for green hydrogen production that the government is devising currently, the country's minister of petroleum and mineral resources Tarek El-Molla said during the COP 26 summit in Glasgow last week.

The North African country will focus on the expansion of blue hydrogen in the short and medium-term as a low-carbon fuel with the aim of moving to green hydrogen in the end, El-Molla said.

At a meeting with US Energy SecretaryJennifer Granholm, the minister noted that the Egypt 2030 strategy focuses on three priorities -- expansion of natural gas as a transitional fuel, the preparation of a national hydrogen strategy and the expansion of renewable energy, especially solar and wind power.

Meanwhile, natural gas consumption in the country has risen three times since 2000 and now accounts for 65% of all hydrocarbons compared with 40% at the start of the millennium.

The main challenges for the transition to cleaner energy are the financing of projects and the application of the technologies that are needed to speed up the transition, the minister said.

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