The government has decided to discontinue the practice of obtaining electricity and not to receive requests or install electronic metres except for those who submitted applications until the end of June, provided that they will be given a deadline to pay the value of consumption until 30 October. El-Husseiny El-Far, a member of the electricity companies' distribution affairs department at the Ministry of Electricity, told Daily News Egypt that the they have stopped working on the practicing system, as well as the installation of counters for the violators. Those who want to obtain electricity must follow the legal procedures and pay the value of the measurements. He explained that the theft suits have been named practicing system to ensure the state's access to its rights. Citizens pay a fee every month or every three months based on the assessment of the electricity companies' technicians. The revenues generated by the electricity distribution companies from last year's practices amounted to EGP 3bn. The ministry aims to maximise its revenues from the electricity supply in a legitimate manner for not bearing losses estimated at EGP 6bn annually for thefts and random links. Article 71 of the Electricity Law stipulates severe penalties for the perpetrator of a crime of theft of electric current, which stipulates that whoever unlawfully obtained electricity shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than six months and not more than two years, as well as a fine not less than EGP 10,000 and not more than EGP 100,000. The prime minister issued decree No 886 of 2016 for the installation of the temporary coded metres, where all technical measures are taken to install these temporary metres as a technical means to measure the consumption of electricity connected by illegal means to the buildings described in this decision.
