The Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younis met yesterday with the British ambassador in Cairo Dominic Asquith. The two officials discussed ways of boosting bilateral cooperation in the field of electricity. The meeting focused on three topics, namely Egypt's nuclear program, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Younis said the Egyptian nuclear program is making headway, as studies showed that Egypt should diversify its energy sources because the traditional energy in Egypt is limited. Egypt has already developed a plan to diversify energy sources. This plan aims to increase the renewable energy to 20% of the total energy available in 2020, including hydropower, which has been optimally used in Egypt. The plan also aims to improve the energy efficiency to achieve a reduction in demand for electricity, thus making a surplus in investments.
In his statements yesterday, Younis said: “Egypt took into consideration the legal framework necessary for the implementation of Egypt's nuclear program. The bill on the nuclear program has been introduced after studying similar laws in 24 countries around the world, including the United Kingdom. And the Egyptian draft law has been revised by the International Atomic Energy Agency.” This draft law is due to be referred to the People's Assembly (parliament) and the Shura Council for endorsement during this parliamentary session, Younis said, stressing that the electricity sector seeks cooperation with all countries having expertise in this field. With regard to renewable energy, Younis said the electricity sector has devised a strategy for developing this energy to generate some 7200 megawatts till 2020, some 20% of the total demand for electricity during this year. Egypt is rich in terms of the energy of the future, namely the solar energy - as he put it.
Egypt could also take advantage of the wind power. A study was made on the speeds and directions of the wind to assess appropriate locations, the most important of which is the area to the west of the Gulf of Suez, which is a promising area for wind farms, Younis said.
