Egypt, WorldFish partner to expand renewable energy use in aquaculture sector

EGYPT – Egypt’s fisheries authority and international aquatic food systems organisation WorldFish have signed a new agreement to expand renewable energy use across the country’s aquaculture sector, as producers face growing pressure to reduce energy costs, improve sustainability and strengthen fish supply chains.

The Memorandum of Understanding, signed between Egypt’s Lakes and Fish Resources Protection and Development Authority and WorldFish, forms part of the Centre for Renewable Energy in Aquaculture (CeREA) project launched in 2023.

The initiative focuses on introducing solar and other clean-energy technologies into fish farming operations to improve production efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and support climate-smart aquaculture development.

The project is being implemented with financial and technical support from the Norwegian Embassy in Cairo as part of broader Egypt-Norway cooperation on sustainable aquaculture and aquatic food systems.

Renewable energy targets fish farm efficiency

Major General Hussein Farhat, Executive Director of Egypt’s Lakes and Fish Resources Protection and Development Authority, said the agreement aligns with national efforts to integrate environmental technologies into productive sectors while improving competitiveness for fish producers.

“This directly contributes to lowering production costs per unit for Egyptian farmers, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of fish products in local and international markets,” Farhat said.

According to WorldFish, the CeREA project seeks to transform fish farms from traditional energy consumers into climate-smart production systems that operate more efficiently amid rising operational costs and intensifying climate pressures.

WorldFish Egypt Director Dr Ahmed Nasrallah said the initiative aims to equip fish farmers with affordable technologies that can improve productivity and resilience across fish value chains.

“With CeREA innovations, we aim to represent a global model to empower producers and farmers within fish value chains with affordable and productive tools to improve their livelihoods and increase the sector’s resilience,” Nasrallah said.

The project will also focus on technology transfer and local adaptation of solar-energy systems for aquaculture applications, while supporting solutions to reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen participation of small-scale producers and rural women in fish value chains.

The two organisations said implementation activities will begin immediately through the formation of joint technical committees responsible for overseeing the installation of technology, training, and the operational rollout.

Egypt remains Africa’s largest aquaculture producer, with aquaculture contributing around 80% of the country’s total fish production, according to WorldFish data.

The sector generates approximately 1.6 million metric tons of fish annually, valued at roughly US$3.5 billion, while supporting an estimated 300,000 jobs across farming, processing and distribution activities.

Tilapia remains the country’s dominant farmed species, with most production coming from private-sector fish farms.

The agreement comes as Egypt continues to expand its ambitions in aquaculture exports.

Earlier this month, the country secured approval to export aquaculture products to the European Union for the first time, after meeting technical requirements on food safety and veterinary controls.

Industry analysts say energy efficiency and production sustainability are becoming increasingly important for aquaculture producers globally as feed, electricity and logistics costs continue to pressure margins across seafood supply chains.

For Egypt, integrating renewable energy technologies into fish farming could help improve the sector’s long-term competitiveness while supporting national climate and food production goals under Egypt Vision 2030.

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