EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson will visit Egypt on Monday to discuss the global energy security situation with partners, and advance work on the trilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed between the EU, Egypt and Israel to support our REPowerEU Plan to reduce Europe’s imports of Russian gas.
Simson will meet Tarek El Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Egypt, and Israel Katz, Minister of Energy of Israel, to further the implementation of the MoU which was signed in June last year.
The cooperation will have a particular focus on renewable energy sources, hydrogen, and energy efficiency. The EU and Egypt will develop a Mediterranean Hydrogen Partnership to promote investments in renewable electricity generation, strengthening and extension of electricity grids, including trans-Mediterranean interconnectors, the production of renewables and low carbon hydrogen, and the construction of storage, transport and distribution infrastructure.
She will also participate in the Egypt Petroleum Show and Exhibition Strategic Conference 2023 hosted by Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The event convenes government representatives and energy industry leaders from the African and Mediterranean regions to debate the energy transition. Commissioner Simson will deliver a keynote speech and participate in a panel discussion on “Managing supply and demand in volatile times – supporting global economies and energy security” with the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, and the Commissioner for Energy and Infrastructure of the African Union Commission, Amani Abou Zeid.
In Cairo, the Commissioner will meet bilaterally with Minister El Molla and with the Secretary General of the EastMed Gas Forum, Osama Mobarez.
The EU and Egypt face several common energy policy challenges, including security of supply, the need for deeper diversification, the completion of energy market reforms, improvement of energy efficiency and increased renewable energy use amongst others. In light of this, and in view of Egypt’s growing role as an important regional gas and electricity producer and transit country in the Euro-Mediterranean market, the EU and Egypt have deepened their energy cooperation over the past decade.
