Access Power said it has reached an agreement with Egypt's government to build a 65 megawatt (MW) solar power plant and was in talks for a wind power scheme in the North African country which would generate 50 MW of power.

The developer and operator of power projects in the Middle East and Africa said in a statement that it would build the solar plant in Aswan. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with Egypt's Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy.

It was also in talks with the ministry about constructing a 50 MW wind power scheme in Zafarana on the Red Sea coast.

Both projects would have a combined value of $200 million and are expected to be developed simultaneously, with construction commencing in 2016, it added.

Egypt aims to build solar and wind power plants in the next three years with combined capacity of 4,300 MW, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in January, to help boost power generation in a country which suffers from energy shortages. – Reuters