The volume of the current energy deficit in Egypt was expected to occur in 2022, said Anhar Hegazy, head of the energy efficiency department in the state-owned Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC), on Wednesday. The remarks were made during The Future of Egypt's Energy Efficiency conference on Wednesday, which was organised to discuss different obstacles impeding the growth of the energy sector. According to Hegazy, the deficit in energy began in 2007. "In order to address the issue, the government should work on reforming energy subsidies, enhancing renewable energy usage and increasing the energy efficiency among different sectors," Hegazy said. By 2022, energy usage is expected to be reduced by 10%, Hegazy said. Also speaking at the conference was former Minister of Petroleum Osama Kamal, who said Egypt has been importing 75m tonnes of petroleum products every year since 2008, with a total cost of EGP 54bn. Kamel suggested shifting to alternative sources of energy, such as coal and solar power, as a means of resolving the energy issue. "The energy subsidies system should be reformed without affecting the energy prices," Kamel said, adding that the implementation of the smart card programme is a solution that will help reduce the smuggling of petroleum products by 15% or 20%. According to Kamel, petroleum smuggling costs the state EGP 50bn. Using natural gas in households and cars as an alternative to butane gas would help in addressing the issue of fuel shortages, he added. Meanwhile, Emad Hassa, head of Nexant Inc., stressed the need to develop Egypt's infrastructure in order to achieve energy efficiency. Hassan said in his speech that the government should define visions and tactics that will help the energy-consuming sectors, such as electricity, health, education and transportation, and improve their energy usage. The undersecretary of gas studies division within the Ministry of Petroleum, Nihad Kordy, said that the ministry has been calling on energy consumers to depend on renewable energy since 2007. "There's no balance in the current energy usage [since] the electricity sector [is provided with such] high amounts," Kordy added. Organised by Egypt Oil and Gas Company, sessions of the roundtable conference revolved around the economic development of energy, policies of energy efficiency and methods regarding the implementation of those plans. Among the attendees were several government officials and senior level representatives from international and national energy companies, such as TAQA Arabia, Dana Gas Egypt, Sea Dragon Energy, Italgen Company, Condor Group and Citadel Capital Energy Division.
