Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources,Karim Badawi,has affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring a stable and sustainable supply of natural gas this summer,particularly for the electricity and industrial sectors. His remarks came during an inspection of the National Advanced Transmission and Automation Centre (NATA),as the country faces soaring electricity loads driven by a severe heatwave. On last Thursday alone,the national grid recorded an unprecedented peak demand of 37,600 MW. Badawi credited the resilience of the unified power grid and the deployment of emergency control measures for maintaining stability during peak usage.
The minister highlighted the role of domestic gas production and the regasification vessels at Ain Sokhna’s SUMED and Sonker ports in meeting demand. He underscored the successful coordination between the Petroleum and Electricity Ministries,with joint task forces working continuously to assess and manage gas needs—partly through the importation of liquefied natural gas (LNG). These efforts,he said,reflect the state’s integrated approach to securing essential energy resources amid increasing consumption and ongoing regional challenges.
The current surge in electricity use follows earlier warnings from the government about potential strains on the energy system due to falling domestic gas production and regional unrest. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly had previously called on citizens to conserve electricity and acknowledged that gas production would hit its lowest levels during this year’s summer months. Egypt has since implemented a $1.18 billion gas import plan and introduced load-shedding strategies in past summers to prevent blackouts. The ongoing measures reflect a broader policy to safeguard energy security while supporting national development goals.
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