Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced Thursday that the government will work from home on Sundays to conserve energy and that additional shipments of diesel fuel will be imported to meet demand, in a bid to address the current power cuts issues. Madbouly also said that public lighting will be rationalized to reduce consumption. This came during a press conference at the Cabinet's headquarters in New Alamein City, in the presence of Mohamed Shaker, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, and Tarek El-Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. The measures come as Egypt faces a severe power cuts and electricity shortage due to high temperatures and increased demand. In a televised address, Madbouly said that the government is working to address the problem and that he expects the situation to improve in the coming days. He urged Egyptians to conserve energy and cooperate with the government to overcome the crisis. Egypt's Prime Minister said that the government has been using all available natural gas and diesel reserves to operate power plants at maximum capacity to meet high consumption rates during a heat wave. Madbouly said that the actual gas and diesel consumption for the past 10 days has reached around 144 to 146 million cubic meters per day, with Wedneasday's consumption alone reaching 152 million cubic meters. He said that if those measures were not implemented, the daily consumption would have been more than 160 to 165 million cubic meters, which was not available for a crisis lasting 10 days. Madbouly also said that the power cuts problem is not just about providing fuel to operate power plants, but that turbines used to operate power plants consume more fuel when temperatures exceed a certain level to maintain their efficiency. He said that this justifies the current situation, which is not due to a shortage of natural gas reserves or the depletion of the Zohr gas field. Madbouly denied that the Egyptian government prefers to export natural gas instead of providing it to its citizens, or that there is inefficiency in the giant electricity projects established in recent years. He said that natural gas is available in the same quantities, and during the summer months, gas exports are completely stopped due to increased local consumption. Gas exports are only done during the winter, spring, and fall when the local consumption is lower and the surplus can be exported. Madbouly said that the government is working to address the power cuts and that he expects the situation to improve in the coming days. He urged Egyptians to conserve energy and cooperate with the government to overcome the crisis. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced Sunday that the government has agreed to import additional shipments of fuel oil to help meet increased demand during a heat wave. Madbouly said that the value of the additional shipments will be between $250m to $300m. He stressed that these numbers were not available in the current budget or estimate, and therefore, it is an additional burden that the country will be able to provide under the current circumstances. Egypt's Prime Minister also announced that the government will be working to reduce electricity consumption in public facilities, such as street lighting and government buildings. He said that employees will be working from home online in government and service facilities that are not directly related to dealing with citizens. Madbouly also directed the Minister of Youth and Sports to play matches before sunset to reduce electricity consumption in sports facilities and stadiums. He added that it was agreed to operate air conditioning devices at 25 degrees Celsius or more to consume electricity in the smallest possible amount. Madbouly said that these measures are necessary to address the current power cuts problem, which is directly related to the unprecedented high temperatures. He urged Egyptians to cooperate with the government to reduce electricity consumption and overcome the crisis. Moreover, Egypt's Prime Minister stated that the country will need to implement load-shedding procedures for about one to two hours daily due to high temperatures. Madbouly said that the load shedding will be implemented in a balanced manner across the country and that it will not affect hospitals or strategic facilities. He also said that power cuts will not be cut off in coastal or tourist areas. The Prime Minister said that the load shedding is necessary due to the unprecedented high temperatures that Egypt is currently experiencing. He said that the temperatures are expected to remain high for the next few weeks and that load shedding may be necessary for that duration. Madbouly assured citizens that the power cuts is not related to the efficiency of networks, natural gas production, or electricity network efficiency. He said that the implemented projects have helped to mitigate the impact of the high temperatures and that the situation would have been much worse without them. The Prime Minister said that the government is monitoring the situation closely and that it will adjust the load-shedding procedures as needed. He urged citizens to cooperate with the government and conserve energy during this time.
