Electricity prices have not changed since 2008, the electricity and energy minister said Sunday.
Electricity and Energy Minister Mahmoud Saad Mahmoud Balbaa denied local newspaper reports that electricity prices have recently gone up, according to state TV. Instead, he said, “The increase that citizens find is a result of a change in consumption patterns over the past few months.”
The current government has expressed a desire to review existing energy subsidies, which totaled over LE111 billion last year.
“The [government-run] electricity sector spends about LE12.5 billion annually to provide houses with subsidized electricity,” Balbaa added. That figure does not include electricity provided to non-residential properties.
This summer, the country witnessed frequent power outages due to high power consumption from air conditioning use. The Cabinet has promised to resolve the energy issue soon.
