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Middle East and North Africa Accelerate Solar Manufacturing and Clean Energy Investments

Egypt has signed a land usufruct contract for the $220 million Atom Solar Egypt complex in the SCZONE’s Sokhna region. Spread over 200,000 sq m, the facility will house two 2 GW solar cell and panel factories and a 1 GWh storage project. Backed by investors from Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, and China, the project will export solar cells globally while supplying panels to Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa. JA Solar will serve as a technical partner, with local content gradually scaled up.

In Oman, China’s Central New Energy Holding Group and Oman-based EGN signed an MoU to jointly develop solar projects integrated with AI-enabled data centers. The partnership will focus on “generation-grid-load-storage” models while localizing the value chain through component production, skills training, and standard setting.

In Saudi Arabia, Maaden Bauxite and Alumina Company partnered with Emerge (Masdar-EDF JV) to build an 8 MW solar + 30 MWh battery system at the Al Baitha bauxite mine. The off-grid solution is projected to generate 17,300 MWh annually, providing 24/7 clean energy.

Meanwhile, China’s Kibing Group has proposed a major investment in Algeria to set up a solar glass facility (1.53 million tons annually) and an ultra-pure silica sand processing facility (1.08 million tons annually). This initiative will leverage local resources to strengthen Algeria’s solar value chain.