Egypt will move clocks ahead by one hour on Thursday 31 July at 11:59 pm to restore daylight saving time, state news agency MENA has reported. Re-applied more than two months ago as a measure to alleviate a worsening energy crisis, the decision was temporarily suspended during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began on 29 June and ended 27 July. As Muslims in Ramadan must abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk, daylight saving time was suspended to shorten fasting hours. First implemented in Egypt in 1988, daylight saving time was introduced as a power-saving measure prolonging daylight hours.It was abolished almost three years ago following the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak after officials debated its efficacy on curbing power usage. Egypt is normally two hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) — meaning three hours ahead under daylight saving time. Facing acute fuel shortages, Egypt has been plagued by frequent blackouts – at times lasting for several hours – that have widely affected homes and factories. The crisis worsens during the summer months when soaring temperatures prompt the widespread use of air conditioners, thus increasing electricity consumption. Source: MENA & Ahram Online
