Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced today, Thursday, that the government will import fuel oil worth $250 to $300 million to address the recurring power outages, and that it will announce a plan to regulate consumption in public places. He added that there is a further plan to regulate electricity use, which includes directives for some employees to work from home every Sunday in August.
Madbouly explained that Egypt's maximum daily consumption of natural gas and fuel oil last year was 129 million cubic meters, while daily consumption in July reached 152 million. He confirmed that all available fuel oil has been depleted, prompting the extraction of more natural gas.
Madbouly denied that the power outages were due to a decrease in natural gas production or problems at the Zohr field, stating, "We are talking about abnormal conditions faced by the entire world, with varying degrees of the problem from one country to another." He added that, in addition to the new directives, power outages are expected to continue in August, noting that "the state has decided on several measures in this regard that will be implemented in the coming days."
