By: Ahmed Abdel Salam
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reviewed the challenges facing Egypt's energy sector, revealing behind-the-scenes handling of fuel supply crises in previous stages and emphasizing the importance of transparency in presenting the challenges facing the state to citizens. During his participation in the session "The Egyptian Energy Journey.. National Achievements and Future Horizons" within the activities of the Egypt 2026 Forum, the President explained that energy crises are inherently linked to the availability of the necessary financial funding to operate plants and secure supplies, noting that the economic equation in this sector depends primarily on the ability to provide the necessary liquidity for projects.
Renewable Energy Project Challenges
El-Sisi touched upon the economic costs associated with expanding renewable energy projects, citing the cost of building solar power plants as an example. He pointed out that building capacities of up to 1000 megawatts requires investments estimated at about 380 million dollars. He also emphasized that the implementation of these projects does not stop at building the plants only, but extends to include the development of transmission and distribution networks, and the preparation of advanced control stations capable of managing the system efficiently.
Electricity System Efficiency Requirements
President El-Sisi stressed the necessity of comprehensive planning for energy projects, explaining that expanding solar energy production requires providing solutions for electricity storage, which adds additional financial burdens represented by the cost of the necessary batteries. He asserted that the evaluation of any energy project must include all its elements from production to transmission and storage, to ensure the optimal utilization of the produced energy and avoid any waste of national resources in this vital sector.
