Egypt’s Cabinet Approves Plan to Ration Electricity to Save Gas for Export

Egypt’s cabinet said on Thursday it approved a plan to ration electricity usage aimed at saving natural gas resources for export to generate hard currency.

According to the statement, shops will have to limit the use of strong lights and avoid setting air conditioning temperatures to below 25 degrees Celsius. Ministries and government facilities will also be cutting down their electricity consumption.

The government is currently working on investing in the most important resource it owns, which is natural gas, to which huge investments have been directed in the past,” Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli.

The Prime Minister held a meeting, to follow up the executive steps to activate the procedures for rationalizing electricity.

“The state has tended to provide the largest amount of gas to be exported abroad and to obtain foreign exchange, in light of the global crisis that the countries of the world are going through, especially the energy crisis that has affected various countries of the world,” the prime minister added.

According to Madbouli’s statements, by saving 10 percent of gas consumption, which is pumped into power stations, this will save approximately $300 million per month by exporting it abroad. In addition, by saving 15 percent of the consumption, this will result in saving $450 million.

“We need to provide foreign exchange in light of the repercussions of the current Russian-Ukrainian crisis; the high prices of grain and petroleum products,” he noted.

The government has started implementing the rationalization plan, and decisions will be sent to all ministries within the framework of implementing this plan, including the complete shutdown of the electric current after the end of official working hours, except for service buildings, as well as not lighting any government building from outside.