Egypt to announce daily schedule of power cuts on Monday

CAIRO – 29 July 2023: The Egyptian government would announce a daily schedule of power cuts in cities and villages this Monday, said the government spokesperson Nader Saad in comments to “On My Responsibility” talk show on Sada El Balad T.V. on Saturday.

The government has received complaints from citizens that power cuts are longer in villages than in cities, he said, noting that malfunction of electricity networks is possible with the rise in temperatures. Electricity turbines consume higher amounts of gas due to the temperatures in summer, Saad clarified.

It is possible that the electricity will return to work normally, starting from the third week of September, if the temperatures improve, he said, adding that the state has spent EGP 355 billion on the electricity sector since 2014.

Cutting power in tourist areas will not be applied he added, saying: “It is not appropriate to cut off electricity in the tourist areas, because they [the tourist areas] are important for generating hard currency. We do not want to export a bad image of Egypt to tourists but Egyptians can tolerate power outages for an hour or two.”

On 27 July 2023, Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, announced 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.

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.