By Inaam Eladawy and Nihal Mounir
The electricity crisis which had previously been affecting just homes has begun to impact upon businesses and factories as well. Factories have tried to overcome such crises by relying on generators while shops, especially those working in the food sector, have experienced losses as a result of damaged goods.
MamdouhZahran, President of the Board of Directors for the Zahran Group which manufactures steel and aluminium products, called on the Ministry of Electricity to cut the supply of electricity to factories after normal work hours.
He added that power cuts in 2010 resulted in up to 20% losses in production.
Zahran noted that the Ministry of Electricity paid greater attention industrial areas during the current year, with factories experiencing power cuts of up to only four hours per week. He said that, as a result, the sector experienced only a 10% decline in production.
Ahned Haggras, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hagrpota Fertilizer Company, said that factories relied on generators to avoid the effects of power cuts during peak electricity consumption hours during the summer.
He confirmed that the Ministry of Electricity did not cut the supply of electricity to industrial areas like in 2010 so as to avoid shortfalls in production.
