Khaled Hashem, Minister of Industry, held a meeting with Andrew Daniel, Chairman of IRSC Renewable Energy Solutions, to explore opportunities for cooperation to support the industrial sector’s green transition and enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian industry.

The discussions reviewed the company’s activities and experience in developing and implementing solar energy projects for the industrial sector since inception in 2011. Based in Cairo, the company relies on specialized Egyptian engineering expertise, reflecting its ability to provide practical and reliable solutions for factories and production facilities.

The company has been developing several micro solar power plants across the industrial, commercial, and utility sectors including a 14 megawatts (MW) peak plant for Belayim Petroleum Company (PETROBEL) in Abu Rudeis, a 5 MW peak engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) project for Hassan Allam in Sharm El Sheikh, and a 6 MW peak on-grid system for Dina Farms.

The meeting also addressed several proposed areas of cooperation, including developing industrial microgrids and implementing solar projects in existing industrial zones. These efforts would help provide energy for investors, reduce operating costs, increase productivity, and prepare industrial zones to accommodate more new projects.

Egypt is currently working on the Shams El‑Sinaa initiative, targeting the installation of solar power stations on the rooftops of about 7,000 factories across the country with a total capacity of 1,000 MW. The initiative will use diverse financing and implementation models to reduce energy costs for factories, cut natural gas consumption, and increase the competitiveness of Egyptian products locally and globally.

The initiative, first proposed in May during a cabinet meeting, would require around 7 million square meters of usable rooftop space for the required number of factories,  representing nearly 10% of Egypt’s certified industrial base..

The Minister stressed that expanding renewable energy use in industry is no longer just an environmental option, citing the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which obliges exporting industries to lower their carbon footprint to maintain competitiveness in global markets.

Hashem further pointed to opportunities for cooperation with IRSC and other specialized Egyptian companies to develop an integrated solar-powered industrial zone that could serve as a replicable model for sustainable, low-emission industrial development across the country.

IRSC’s Chairman affirmed the company’s readiness to support the Egyptian industry through its engineering and implementation expertise and focus on maximizing local content, supporting Egyptian value chains, and contributing to the state’s objectives in the areas of industrial development and clean energy.