Electricity loads in Egypt will continue to be reduced until next March due to a decrease in fuel supplied to production stations aiming to benefit from gas exports during the coming months, according to exclusive statements from officials at the Ministry of Electricity to the Asharq Business website.
Daily load reductions will range from 600-800 megawatts. This capacity will be distributed to all governorates in periods not exceeding 10 minutes, according to the officials.
A committee of several ministries is scheduled to be formed in the near future to develop scenarios for the load-reducing plan in a way that does not harm the interests of citizens and, simultaneously, does not incur additional dollar burdens on the state to import diesel.
The Ministry of Electricity’s strategic reserve of diesel currently – in addition to the daily supplies from the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum – amounts to 150 thousand tons, while daily supplies received from the Ministry of Petroleum regarding diesel range from 10,000 to 12,000 tons of diesel, according to officials.
Load reduction proposals
The scenarios expected to be discussed in the committee, to be held within several days, include setting a time to close shops and cafes at midnight, as well as holding football matches and sporting activities during the day as much as possible, the officials said.
The government may return to implementing the work-from-home system for all workers, one day every week – but the proposal is still on the table- which is expected to contribute to resolving the load-reducing crisis temporarily.
Egypt in July suffered power outages at a rate unseen since 2014, which the government justified as a consequence of the severe heatwaves that struck the country.
The government then promised to solve the crisis by providing the necessary needs of petroleum materials for the electricity networks and raising gas pressure.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced at the time the import of additional shipments of diesel for power stations worth $300 million.
The Ministry of Electricity needs about 135 million cubic meters of gas and 10,000 tons of diesel daily, until the recurring power outages in Egypt end.
