The French energy company EDF has built a new 40 MW solar power plant in Ashalim, Israel’s Negev desert.
The facility is the fourth solar power project built by a French company in the region. In 2018, it also completed the Pduyim (14 MW), Mefalsim (13 MW) and Kfar Maimon (7 MW) solar projects, which were selected by the Israeli authorities in 2017 through a tender.
A new solar plant in Ashalim sells electricity to the grid at 0.08 ILS ($0.0223)/kWh, which the government says is the lowest price paid for energy and solar power in Israel to date.
According to the Israeli government, Ashalim currently hosts 312 MW of operational solar capacity. In May 2023, Israel’s land authority launched a tender to lease 28,000 hectares (11,331 acres) in the Negev desert for the deployment of large-scale solar power plants..
The country mainly uses solar electricity to increase production capacity, and about 5 GW is already installed. The goal of renewable energy is 20% of production by 2025 and 30% by 2030.
