Egypt: Help sought for new administrative capital phase 2
The second phase of development of Egypt’s new purpose-built administrative capital is underway, and international expertise is being sought to help bring the plans to fruition.
“We have four phases and 70% of phase 1, 40,000 acres, is finished. The government moved in and is now working from the new capital and now we’re targeting another 40,000 acres for phase two,” says Khaled Abbas, chairman and chief executive at the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), the company overseeing the project, which was launched six years ago.
Both investors and consultants are needed, especially those with strong sustainability credentials. “From day one, we are green, smart and sustainable, so we are always looking for the best technology and what’s new in sustainability,” Abbas tells Real Asset Insight.
World’s first zero-carbon tower
Among the sustainability initiatives the project features is the first zero-carbon tower in the world; 30% of the electricity used in the government district is from solar panels; and the development uses smart infrastructure to reduce resource wastage. “We have a joint venture with a company from the UAE which will recycle 100% of solid waste, 70% will be recycled and 30% will provide electricity,” Abbas adds.
The second phase of the project will provide 2,000 acres of industrial development. “We’re looking at clean industries and we are only 40km from the ports, so it’s easy to import raw materials or export products.”
That said, the city is a mixture of uses and, as well as housing, will include supporting uses such as commercial offices and hospitality. “It’s a complete city,” Abbas says.
Sustainable and green city
ACUD has adopted a technical and economical approach to make the new capital a sustainable and green city from the outset. “At the design phase, we issued a document as a guideline for all developers, for all contractors, for all the people working at the site, in order to maintain the same idea and the same concept during the lifetime of the project,” says Mohamed Al Desouky, ACUD’s energy director.
He says this will also help once the project is complete for operation and maintenance of the resulting power grid. “If it’s efficient, if it’s smart, this will help the cost and operational maintenance of the grid,” he says.
Power generation is geared towards use of photovoltaic panels, “because the land cost is high we thought about the use of PV on rooftops”, Al Desouky explains. A code was issued that ensures that at least 15% of the power generated by each roof goes to the grid.
Controlling the grid will create considerable data and three data centres have been created as a result, some of the capacity of which will be rented to other customers in the new capital.
