Norway-based renewable energy developer Scatec said on Thursday it has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) for Egypt's first hybrid solar power and battery storage project.

Scatec signed a U.S. dollar-denominated 25-year PPA with EETC for a 1 gigawatt (GW) solar power plant and 100 megawatt (MW) battery storage project (BESS), it said.

The company did not disclose the financial value of the contract.

"This will be the first hybrid solar and battery project in Egypt and demonstrates Scatec's strong position as one of the largest renewable energy producers in the country," CEO Terje Pilskog said in a statement.

Scatec will now finalise land lease and grid connection agreements, and expects to reach financial close with lenders and to start construction of the solar and BESS hybrid project in the first half of 2025, it added.

In 2017, the Norwegian company already signed a 25-year PPA with EETC for six solar plants near Aswan, in Upper Egypt, totalling 380 MW of capacity, which has been connected to the grid since 2019.

Egypt, which faces declining domestic gas production and rising electricity consumption, is aiming for a 42% share of renewable energy in its power generation mix by 2030, up from 11.5% in 2023.