Electricity Ministry signs agreement with Beijing-based GEIDCO

CAIRO - 21 February 2019: The Egyptian electricity sector signed a memorandum of understanding and a cooperation agreement with the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation (GEIDCO), said Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker.

Shaker added that the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company has become a member of the GEIDCO.

This came during his participation in the 14th ministerial meeting of the East Africa Power Pool (EAPP), which was held on February 20 and 21 in Entebbe, Uganda.

Egypt and GEIDCO have agreed to cooperate in a number of fields including conducting research on energy strategy in Egypt, strengthening development of using renewable energy and electric networks integration, and technical consultation on smart grid applications, the minister explained.

He affirmed Egypt's full commitment to supporting and encouraging the Eastern Africa Power Pool countries to reach the ultimate goal of integration of the African continent and to achieve the goals of the 2063 Agenda.

Shaker expressed Egypt's desire to share its experiences and its best practices in all fields of electricity and energy, especially in rural electrification, renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and planning electricity projects, implementing them with all African countries.

The minister said that Egypt looks forward to hosting the next ministerial meeting of the EAPP, adding that the country welcomes the African brothers in Egypt.

During the ministerial meeting, Shaker pointed out to the important role played by electricity linkage projects in achieving development in EAPP member states.

The two-day ministerial meeting, which wraps up today, addresses a host of issues related to the development and future of the East African region and cooperation among eastern and northern African countries.

Shaker shed light on the accomplishments achieved in Egypt within the past four years to face challenges of the electricity sector and establish an environment that encourages the private sector to participate in power-generation projects.

The Egyptian energy sector succeeded in adding 25,000 megawatts to the national power grid during the past four years, Shaker said.

He asserted the importance of electricity linkage projects to boost regional and continental energy security.

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Additional reporting by MENA