Written by: Ahmed Abdel Salam
Dr. Mahmoud Esmat, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, affirmed that the state has given the energy sector great attention since 2014, which has led to an exceptional qualitative leap and a radical transformation in the sector's structure to ensure the availability of electricity with sustainable quality and stability, noting that the political leadership's vision considered energy a national security issue.
Investment boom and developed infrastructure
The minister explained that the huge investments spent on the electricity production, transmission, and distribution sector reached about 5 trillion Egyptian pounds, and included investments for electricity production from thermal and renewable sources, the El Dabaa nuclear project, and the development of transmission and distribution networks, with the aim of building a more robust and flexible network and accommodating the unprecedented record loads that the unified network has witnessed recently.
Expansion in renewable energy and energy mix
The national energy strategy aims to increase the contribution of renewable energies and storage batteries in the energy mix to achieve sustainable development goals, reduce traditional fuel consumption, save huge quantities of natural gas, and reduce carbon emissions, through cooperation with the private sector to implement mega projects for wind and solar energy.
Regional electrical interconnection projects and localization of industry
The minister pointed to the success of electrical interconnection projects with neighboring countries and the progress made in international interconnection lines, such as the interconnection project with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and interconnection negotiations with Greece, in addition to the efforts made to localize the electrical equipment industry and increase the local component in projects, which contributes to enhancing Egypt's position as a pivotal regional hub for energy.
