Egypt, Saudi Arabia to sign power linkage contracts in May

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 3 (MENA) - Board Chairperson of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) Sabah Mashali said Egypt will sign power linkage contracts with Saudi Arabia on May 30.

This falls within the framework of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi directives to turn Egypt into a regional energy hub, she said.

Mashali made the remarks on Monday in an interview with MENA correspondent in Kuwait on the fringe of a meeting of the Arab committee of female engineers.

The Egyptian-Saudi power linkage project is one of the largest in the region, she pointed out.

The Egyptian Electricity Ministry seeks also to establish power linkage with Europe through Cyprus, she said.

Mashali noted that the Egyptian-Sudanese power linkage started pilot operation, adding that this would help Sudan make up for the power shortage it is suffering from.

She added that developing the electricity sector under President Sisi's directions has qualified Egypt to become a regional energy center.

After Egypt was suffering from a 3,000 to 6,000 megawatt shortage, it managed to have a surplus amounting to roughly 40 percent, she said.

She noted that Egypt's history of power linkage projects extends to about 22 years, referring to the power linkage with Jordan and Libya as one of the most successful of these kinds of projects in the Arab region.

As for honoring her by the Kuwait Society of Engineers, she said President Sisi has opened the door for Egyptian women to work and innovate.

She said "we are building an advanced state where there is no place for gender inequality. Proficiency is the only criteria for work assessment," she added, hailing the role played by Egyptian women in various domains.