Written by: Suhaib Shams
The Media Center of the Council of Ministers issued an official statement responding to the news and statements circulating on social media, which were attributed to the Prime Minister regarding plans for electricity load shedding for periods ranging between six and eight hours daily.
The Truth Behind the Statements Attributed to the Prime Minister
The Media Center confirmed that those statements are incorrect and completely taken out of their original context. It explained that the remarks were made during the speech of Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, the Prime Minister, in a session titled 'The Egyptian Energy Journey: National Achievements and Future Prospects,' where he reviewed several scenarios and options presented to deal with the global rise in energy prices, without issuing any actual decision related to electricity load shedding.
Scenarios for Dealing with Rising Energy Prices
During his speech, the Prime Minister explained the various options available to deal with the financial burdens resulting from energy prices, noting that the first scenario involves the citizen bearing the full increase in cost, similar to what many countries have done. Meanwhile, the second scenario is based on the state bearing that increase entirely, an option that requires providing additional financial resources or resorting to borrowing.
He pointed out that the third scenario relies on adhering to the financial allocations stipulated in the general budget and purchasing petroleum products according to the new prices and only within the limits of available resources. He explained that this option might cover only 50 to 60 percent of the actual needs, which might force the concerned authorities to resort to exceptional and difficult measures, including electricity load shedding for long periods, in the context of reviewing theoretical options and scenarios, not as a final decision.
