Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi Sunday issued directives to ensure the provision of energy needs of various productive and service sectors, in order to maintain industrial output, attract further investments, and meet people’s consumption requirements.
The president emphasized the importance of projects and measures aimed at improving operational efficiency and performance and thus addressing technical and commercial losses, reducing fuel consumption, and enhancing the overall stability and sustainability of the power grid.
He stressed the importance to continue expanding and relying on renewable energy projects, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and work towards localising the electrical equipment manufacturing industry and transferring modern technologies.
President Sisi made the remarks during a meeting with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli and Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat on Sunday.
During the meeting, the president was briefed on the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy’s plan to secure electricity supply for citizens during the upcoming summer months to cope with the rising consumption levels on the national electricity grid, according to Presidential Spokesman Mohamed el Shennawy.
The minister of electricity and renewable energy indicated that an increase in demand on the national grid is expected, ranging between 6% to 7% during the coming summer months.
Therefore, it is planned to add 3,000 MW of solar energy this year, as well as introduce new storage battery capacities before the summer, totaling 600 MW, bringing the total available capacity on the grid using this technology to 1,100 MW.
The president emphasized the importance of accommodating the increased loads and unprecedented consumption levels, while continuing efforts to ensure the stability of the grid, maintain continuous electricity supply, address violations, and add renewable energy capacities to the energy mix, while applying quality standards and economic operation.
President Sisi also followed up on the plan to support, develop, and modernize the electricity system. Eng. Mahmoud Esmat confirmed that the national electricity grid operates according to the highest quality standards and remains stable in meeting citizens’ needs.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and its affiliated companies continue to exert additional efforts to meet the needs of citizens in residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.
Last year, 34 new transformer stations at various voltage levels were completed and connected to the unified grid, in addition to expansions that included 40 other stations. Furthermore, 194,000 kilometers of distribution lines and 5,610 kilometers of transmission lines were installed.
President Sisi also reviewed the progress of renewable energy projects being implemented in cooperation with leading companies in the sector so as to contribute to increasing the percentage of energy produced from its renewable sources in the energy mix. It was confirmed that the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy has already completed a significant portion of its strategy for the contribution of renewable energies to reach 42% of the total generated energies or more by 2030 ahead of schedule.
The meeting also reviewed progress in electricity interconnection projects with a number of neighboring countries. Discussions emphasized that Egypt is moving forward to become a regional energy hub by strengthening existing interconnections and advancing work and studies for electricity interconnection with a number of friendly countries.
Meanwhile, the minister of electricity and renewable energy noted that the electricity interconnection project with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be vital for the national grid stability in the summer. He added that the project’s first phase, providing 1,500 MW, is set to be energized in time to support the urgent plan for securing the power supply during the summer of 2026.
