ALBAWABA - In reaction to mounting resentment for prolonged power outages, Egypt's Ministries of Energy and Petroleum and Mineral Resources jointly apologized to the public on Tuesday, following an earlier statement on the same day that electricity cuts would be extended.
Egypt's continuous power outages, which started in October 2023, infuriated and alarmed millions of people in the country, with the announcement that an extension of one more hour will be held each day, reaching 3-4 hours of daily cuts, adding more fuel to the fire.
Popular talk show speaker Amr Adib, commented on the situation in a live video on June 3 saying “my question here is to the Egyptian people: Are you satisfied with the performance of the current Cabinet?” adding further remarks on June 24 again casting doubt on the attempts of the legislative branch to push for reform.
“This plan, which began implementation yesterday, will extend for an additional hour until the end of the current week to maintain the safe and stable operation of the gas network and power generation station,” the ministries stated in the joint statement before issuing a second one in apology to the public, stating “the continued extreme heat above normal levels for this period necessitates the continuation of the load-shedding plan implemented.”
Mostafa Madbouly, the prime minister of Egypt, said on June 25 that his administration would be importing natural gas and Mazut valued at around USD 1.18 billion (EGP 57.09 billion) in order to mitigate power shortages across the nation beginning in the third week of July.
During an urgent press conference, as reported by Egyptian Streets, Madbouly revealed the decision and apologized for the continuing power outages. He also confirmed that they would last for three hours each day this week before cutting down to two hours the next week.
