CAIRO - 27 July 2023: Egypt's Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, announced Thursday, a series of important decisions to address the electricity crisis, which began a few days ago due to increased loads caused by rising temperatures.
The Prime Minister's decisions to resolve the electricity crisis included the implementation of an online work system for employees on Sundays throughout the month of August for government departments not directly involved in citizen services.
The implementation of the Prime Minister's decision will start from Sunday, August 6th, until the end of the month, allowing employees in certain government agencies and the service sector to work from home online on Sundays only.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of setting air conditioning temperatures at 25 degrees Celsius to reduce electricity consumption. A crisis committee will be formed to monitor the implementation of these measures daily.
Additionally, the plan to cope with the increasing electricity consumption includes an agreement with the Minister of Youth and Sports to conclude sports matches before sunset to avoid electricity consumption in stadiums and sports facilities. Moreover, general lighting in public places will be reduced, and shipments of diesel fuel worth $250 to $300 million will be imported to balance the power grid.
Starting from next Monday, a daily schedule of power cuts, ranging from one to two hours, will be announced to alleviate the electricity loads. Prime Minister Madbouly confirmed that August will witness unprecedented high temperatures, and there is no shortage of natural gas. He stated that gas exports will be halted during the summer months and resumed in the winter, spring, and autumn.
In response to the increasing electricity demand, shipments of diesel fuel will be imported from today until the end of August, costing between $250 to $300 million, to stabilize the power grid.
The Prime Minister stressed that coastal and touristic areas are major national income sources and cannot have their electricity supply cut or reduced. The government is implementing a plan to manage the growing electricity consumption.
On July 17th, with soaring temperatures and increased consumption, 36 gigawatts were consumed in a single day, leading to the utilization of all available gas and diesel resources. The actual consumption of natural gas and diesel reached 144 to 146 million cubic meters in 10 days.
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