The electrical network's capacity in Egypt will be increased by 6,500 megawatts by the end of the year to address the frequent power outages the country has been experiencing, said Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker.
The ministry, according to Shaker, has been working on an emergency plan before the start of summer, when there is a higher consumption of electricity.
Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm on the sidelines of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit in Ethiopia, Shaker blamed the power cuts that took place over the past few days on a shortage of gas, saying that the problem was resolved after the Petroleum Ministry imported the required gas to fulfill the needs of the electricity stations.
Service at several stations will start in the summer, Shaker said. The electricity link between Egypt and Saudi Arabia will end by 2017 at a cost of US$1.6 billion.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
