The Electricity Ministry vowed on Monday to secure a regular power supply during summer, describing the issue as a matter of “national security.”
Frequent power outages witnessed last summer will not repeat, Minister Mohamed Shaker said in a conference, referring to the government’s pre-planned cuts that sought to ration consumption during the peak season.
Egypt embarked on the rationing measures to offset a shortage in the fuel supplies needed for the operation of power stations.
The minister noted that his ministry had contracted for the establishment of 3600-megawatt units worth of LE2.65 billion. He explained that the recent decline in world oil prices is still higher than the cost of electricity production in Egypt.
The minister admitted errors in electricity bills calculating customers’ consumption, noting that the ministry had opened offices to address complaints in that respect.
He added that the government’s plan to lift energy subsidies over the next five years will give the electricity sector “a chance to take a breath.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry al-Youm
