Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker said on Sunday that Egypt aims to be a regional hub for electricity transfer and circulation in 2018.
He added that the ministry has doubled the country’s electricity production capacity and expanded transmission and distribution projects during the past period. Egypt will be capable of exporting its electricity surplus in the next year.
Shaker added that the ministry has provided all consumers with their electricity needs and currently works on improving the quality of produced power. The electric surplus would be exported to a number of countries, including Jordan, Libya, and Saudi Arabia, as well as some African countries.
He revealed that the ministry considers changing the solar energy tariff for projects with a capacity less than 500 kW. He noted that the current solar energy tariff was issued before the liberalisation of the exchange rate, so it requires adjustment.
Shaker said that the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) cooperates with the ministries of military production and petroleum to establish a new maintenance company for power plants in 2018.
The Ministry of Electricity aims to increase local inputs in electricity production projects and plans to localise the maintenance process of power plants, rather than relying on foreign companies that cost the ministry a lot of money.
Shaker refused to disclose the date of signing the Dabaa nuclear plant contracts, stressing that he cannot announce the date because the presidency is responsible for this step. However, the signing will take place soon in a big celebration with the presence of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, he added.
