The Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) has denied accusations of corruption leveled against it by former petroleum minister Osama Kamal during an interview with state-owned Al-Ahram on 5 October.
in an interview with the newspaper titled “Corruption in the Ministry of Electricity,” Kamal said that an “electricity mafia” with ties to the MOEE had imported 31 used power stations as new ones.
“Double the amount of fuel is required in order for these stations to function which results in significant losses,” he said.
The former minister’s accusations were directed toward the previous government under former Prime Minister Hesham Qandill; however, Ahmed Imam, then Minister of Electricity and Energy, was not replaced after the 30 June uprising and has maintained his position.
Aktham Abou El-Ela, MOEE spokesman, said that all the power stations built during the previous period were compliant with the latest technical specifications and carried out through transparent international tenders.
The spokesman added that the financing institutions which provided the loans for their construction reviewed and appraised the ministry’s commitment to following these technical specifications.
Abou El-Ela also said that the ministry has not received any complaints from the companies using these power stations.
No corruption cases have so far been made against the ministry to regulatory or judicial authorities, the spokesman said, adding that “anyone with proof of corruption should submit this to the Prosecutor General instead of making accusations without evidence in the newspapers.”
On 29 September, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said it would help finance Southern Helwan’s power station, according to an official statement by Minister of Electricity and Energy Ahmed Imam.
The total cost to finance this project is EGP14bn, around $2bn. The project will be financed by international institutions such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) as well as state-owned Upper Egypt Electricity Production Company (UEEPC).
