Coastal areas will be excluded from power cuts, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced.
Madbouly stated the reason is due to these areas being a source of national income, explaining: “Foreign tourists come and pay in hard currency, which constitutes a major source of income for the Egyptian government.”
“If we cut off electricity to the coastal areas, tourists will not come,” Madbouly said, pointing out that cutting off electricity is avoided to vital, service and tourist institutions that are a source of income for the state.
In a press conference on Thursday he explained that timings will be set for daily power cuts across Egypt, except for coastal areas.
Madbouly announced urgent government measures on Thursday to regulate power outages across Egypt, which is entering its second week due to a searing heatwave.
Electricity loads will be reduced daily if weather temperature exceeds 35C by one hour and two hours, and the schedule for the power outages will be announced on Monday, he added.
The current heat wave in Egypt is the main reason behind power outages, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a press statement on Thursday.
The heat wave was expected to end on Sunday but still continued, he noted, adding that August is expected to witness unprecedentedly high temperatures as well.
Starting from the first Sunday of August – corresponding to August 6 – government employees will work online from home, Madbouly said
