Minister of Local Development receives delegation from the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, received a delegation from the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), headed by Major General Mohamed Issa, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Center, and including Dr. Ahmed Khalil, Director of Environmental Governance Department, and Dr. Ahmed Abdel Rasul, an environmental expert at the Center. The meeting was held on Thursday to discuss mechanisms for implementing wind energy projects in the Gulf of Suez region, taking into account the preservation of biodiversity and migratory bird paths. The meeting was attended by Sherif Abdel Rahim, assistant minister for climate policies, Dr. Saber Osman, head of the Central Administration for Climate Change, Nisreen El-Baz, head of the Environmental Management Sector, and Dr. Mohamed Youssef, head of the Central Administration for Natural Protected Areas.
The meeting comes within the framework of the regional center’s activity that seeks to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency practices in the Arab region by preparing studies and strategies for energy projects and implementing an effective management program for wind turbines in the Gulf of Suez, while adhering to national requirements to avoid the death of migratory birds.
Representatives of the center gave the minister a presentation on the center’s activities, objectives, and regional and international focal points, while reviewing the criteria set for wind and renewable energy projects, which focused on preserving biodiversity and migratory bird paths, without hindering development and investment projects. These criteria focused on preserving biodiversity and migratory bird routes, without hindering development and investment projects. Dr. Awad praised the center’s role in preparing cumulative environmental and social strategic studies for energy projects, which ensure that environmental standards are taken into account before implementation, avoiding sensitive areas and bird mortality.
The minister emphasized that the measures taken by the Ministry of Environment, from taking into account migratory bird routes to preparing relevant strategic studies, have contributed to reducing mortality cases to less than international permissible rates, which led to the ministry receiving the Global Energy Award, an international recognition of Egypt’s efforts to protect natural resources and migratory birds.
The minister discussed with the center’s delegation effective solutions to monitor migratory birds, whether flocks or individuals, before they arrive, to take measures such as shutting down turbines in time to avoid injuring them, and provided directives to intensify cooperation with the center to update the guidelines for energy projects, to be used in the scientific committee that reviews environmental studies for new projects. She also stressed the need to implement monitoring procedures in cooperation with the concerned authorities, to allow the implementation of projects after issuing environmental approvals.
For their part, representatives of the center reiterated their commitment to cooperate with the ministry in updating the guidebook for wind and renewable energy projects and their environmental impact. They explained that this support is in line with the center’s objectives in promoting the economic and social benefits of sustainable growth by supporting the transition to clean energy sources, climate change mitigation, and technical support to the private sector in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
It is worth mentioning that the Regional Center is preparing the largest strategic study of biodiversity in the Red Sea region in cooperation with international and regional authorities, including an analysis of ecosystems, as well as migratory bird routes and endangered species, reflecting its extensive experience in reconciling sustainable development with environmental protection in the Arab region.
