Health clinics in a remote region of Egypt now have electricity to refrigerate medicines and illuminate their wards, after Shell Egypt carried out its sustainable development program.
Shell Egypt has installed solar systems at five health centers in the Governorate of Matruh, in the northwest corner of Egypt, and is investigating expanding the program to other health centers in the region.
The solar systems each consist of 10 Shell Solar 75-watt modules and produces around 4.4 kilowatt hours a day; enough to power 15 lights, a refrigerator, a television and a water pump. The systems are easy to install and work even on very cloudy days.
General practitioner at the Abu Markik Health Center that supports 5,000 local residents, Ramadan Abdelrahman Sallam said the solar system provided an essential addition to the health center. In the past the clinic, which is too remote to be connected to the electrical grid, was forced to rely on a generator that would often break down.
The Shell Egypt sustainable development program has also helped to set up and fund the Matruh Industrial Secondary School that helps prepare teenagers in the region for careers in the oil and gas industry. A plastic recycling plant is now under construction in co-operation between Matruh Governorate, Shell Egypt and the Association for Protection of the Environment (APE), a non-governmental organization.
The Royal Dutch/Shell Group has been operating in Matruh since the 1970s and currently produces oil and gas from two fields, the Bader El Din and Obaiyed. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
