By : Mary Kay Sheahan,

Director, Product Marketing, Bentley Systems





 Recognizing the need to combat climate change, the state-owned
Egyptian Holding Company for Electricity mandated a goal of generating
20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022. To help meet
that ambitious goal, Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority tasked
PGESCo with heading development of an equally ambitious solar project.
At a capacity of 1.8 gigawatts, the Benban Solar Park is one of the
largest solar facilities in the world. The park, located 40 kilometers
northwest of Aswan, consists of 32 separate plots, each of which was
developed by a separate company. PGESCo had to effectively coordinate
the contributions of all parties and combine their production into a
single facility.



Combining Individual Contributions with Common Infrastructure

PGESCo determined they could combine the efforts of the 32
sub-facilities with common infrastructure. All power generation would
feed into four electricity substations, three of which measure 15,000
square meters in size, while the fourth measures 50,000 square meters.
Underground 220 kilovolt cables would deliver power to an existing 500
kilovolt line. However, providing basic infrastructure would not be
enough, as PGESCo had to also oversee all operations on the site and
manage the numerous connections between the plots, substations, and
transmission lines. PGESCo realized traditional forms of project
management would not be able to coordinate such a large, complex
project.



Coordinating Work with Data Management

A longtime user of Bentley applications, they knew ProjectWise could
provide the detailed management this sprawling project needed. The
application established a web-based connected data environment,
allowing them to manage all project documents. Every participant could
access documentation from the location and platform of their choice,
giving them the information needed to connect their plots with the
shared infrastructure and other plots while out in the field.
ProjectWise’s interoperability with third-party applications,
including Microsoft Teams, also allowed participants to keep using
familiar workflows.



Eliminating a Major Source of Carbon Emissions

By using ProjectWise to provide all project data and coordinate work,
PGESCo was able to combine the 32 plots into a single facility, even
as many of the plots had different layouts and technical
specifications. The massive solar facility that now brings clean,
renewable energy to over 350,000 residential customers and eliminates
2 million tons of carbon emissions each year. Additionally, the
project generated 6,000 jobs for the local economy during
construction.



Outcome/Facts:

·         Egyptian Holding Company for Electricity mandated a goal of
generating 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022.

·         At a total capacity of 1.8 gigawatts, Benban Solar Park is
one of the largest solar facilities in the world.

·         The massive solar facility that now brings clean, renewable
energy to over 350,000 residential customers and eliminates the 2
million tons of carbon emissions each year.

·         PGESCo developed a USD 4 billion, 1.8-gigawatt solar
facility near Benban,

Egypt by coordinating the efforts of 32 different development companies