Cairo- With the approaching summer and increasing the demand for electricity, the Egyptian government affirmed its commitment to avoid “reduce loads” completely during the coming period, given the burden on citizens and the negative impact on vital sectors such as tourism and production.
A spokesman for the Council of Ministers, Counselor Mohamed Al -Homsani, said that there is close cooperation between the ministries of electricity and oil to provide the necessary fuel for power stations, noting that the state’s strategy depends on expanding new and renewable energy projects to support the National Electricity Network.
In parallel, efforts are made to rationalize consumption and reduce energy losses, while encouraging investment in the clean energy sector, according to the spokesman, which achieves a balance between meeting local needs and preserving the environment.
The past crisis is chasing the present
During the summer of last year, Cairo faced a severe crisis in providing electricity, which forced it to cut off the current from citizens for periods of between an hour and 4 hours a day. This is due to the exacerbation of the local demand and the lack of gas supplies, which coincided with the transformation of the country from exporting liquefied gas to its import.
With the aging of the gas fields, Egypt’s daily production of gas decreased to approximately 4.3 billion cubic feet, while the need for generation stations during the summer rises to 6.5 billion cubic feet per day, and it has a peak of 7 billion cubic feet in July and August next, according to the Washington -based Energy Research Unit.
It is expected that the production of local gas in Egypt will witness an additional decrease by 22.5% by the end of 2028. In contrast, a significant increase in energy consumption in the country is expected by up to 39% during the next decade, according to the data of the Consulting Company Energy Aspests.
Government solutions
The government’s plan aims to sustain electricity supplies and counter increased loads by strengthening the local network and supporting the industrial and service sectors through the following:
- Provide the necessary fuel for power stations.
- Add new capabilities to the electrical network.
- Enhancing opportunities to attract investments for the energy sector.
- Diversification of energy supplies (renewable energy).
- The end of electrical connection projects between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Italy.
Government alternatives are not enough
A former government official who was a ministerial position in the energy sector, who asked not to be identified, warned, “of the continuation and exacerbation of the energy crisis in Egypt due to the decline in resources and the increasing demand due to population growth, the high standard of living and the expansion of economic projects, as well as the scarcity of the foreign currency that increases the cost of import.”
Speaking to Al -Jazeera Net, the former official stressed the need for good control of energy management by determining times to close shops and markets, enhance awareness of the importance of preserving resources in schools, universities and government institutions, and rationalizing the use of lighting, stressing that ignoring these procedures will lead to a continuous increase in the consumption bill.
High cost
Egypt’s imports of fuel witnessed a remarkable increase during the year 2024 by approximately 26%, reaching a value of about 15.5 billion dollars, compared to 12.3 billion dollars recorded by imports in 2023.
To cover the gap between its local production and market needs, Egypt plans to import between 155 and 160 charges of LNG during the year 2025. The total cost of these imports is estimated at about $ 8 billion, including 3 billion to buy 60 gas charges in the summer.
The Egyptian government allocated 75 billion pounds (about 1.5 billion dollars) to support electricity in the 2025-2026 budget, while the prices raised last August at rates ranging between 14% and 40% for homes, 23.5% to 46% for the commercial sector, and 21.2% to 31% for industrial.
The truth of the government’s promises
In light of the governmental data to avoid relieving loads next summer, a professor of energy engineering and former president and founding of the Electricity Facility Regulatory Authority, Mohamed Salah Al -Sobky, sees that “the passage of summer without interruption of electricity is expected. This is due to the integration between the entry of renewable energy stations into the network, the continued import of fuel, in addition to the maintenance of existing stations.”
Al -Sobky stressed, in statements to Al -Jazeera Net, the importance of rationalizing the consumption of electricity without damaging production, noting that Egypt depends on renewable energy by 14%, compared to 85% on petroleum products and natural gas.
The spokesman stressed that the electrical connection with Saudi Arabia expected this year will contribute to providing additional supplies estimated at 1500 megawatts, equivalent to approximately 3% of the needs.
Energy import
The former Director General of Studies and Development at the South Delta Electricity Distribution Company, Abla Jado, explained that “Egypt has a strong infrastructure in the electricity sector with a production capacity of 59 thousand megawatts, which is supposed to cover the demand, which amounted to 38 thousand megawatts during the summer of last year.”
She added, in a statement to Al -Jazeera Net, that the biggest challenge lies in ensuring the fuel supplies needed to operate these stations at full capacity, especially with increased consumption in the summer and the fluctuations of gas supplies.
The professor of electrical power engineering indicated that securing the continuity of supplies will reflect positively on the economy, stressing that the cost of importing energy remains much less than the high bill resulting from the stopping of factories and the disruption of production, as well as the damages caused to electricity networks due to the irregular current.
She called for diversification of energy sources and encouraging solar energy use by companies and citizens with the support of the state, because of the financial provision and environmental benefits in the medium and long term.
