Lekela has implemented a new program for the Ras Ghareb community, near its West Bakr Wind farm in Egypt, to support local people in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
Through this initiative, Lekela is distributing preventative supplies and personal protective equipment, such as face masks, gloves and hand sanitizer, to the local community for free.
Lekela will distribute 100 packages of equipment every day for two months, donating 4,400 packages in total. The scheme has been developed in full coordination with the city council and local groups, NGOs, and governmental entities in response to the ongoing pandemic. This project forms a part of Lekela’s community investment plan, which focuses on improving education, enterprise and the environment for local communities.
Lekela is also working to develop a comprehensive operational phase community investment plan focusing on technical training in particular to support youth and women to further accelerate their participation in the renewable’s sector in Egypt.
Lekela is focused on delivering the West Bakr project to the very highest standards in terms of mitigation against biodiversity. As the wind farm is in an important area for migrating birds, a shutdown on demand programme is being developed to be applied during the operational phase of the project.
Furthermore, as part of work to monitor bird migration in the region, Lekela has invested in consultancy services, training equipment and sponsored eight trainees from Ras Ghareb working in partnership with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). Not only will this preserve local wildlife and biodiversity, but also contribute to job creation in the area.
Construction for the 250MW wind farm began in October 2019 and it will be fully operational in 2021. The project, which is part of the Egyptian Government’s Build, Own, Operate scheme, will help to increase the country’s wind energy capacity by 18%.