Egypt's Ministry of Trade and Industry and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) inked on Wednesday the contract of the Egyptian programme for enhancing electrical engines efficiency project.

The UNIDO, according to a ministry statement, will work on the project for four years starting 2020. The programme will be implemented in collaboration with Egypt's trade ministry and the private sector. It will be financed by the UNIDO through its Global Environment Facility (GEF) with $2.75 million.

The trade minister assistant for industry affairs, Ahmed Taha, said the project targeted promoting innovation and technology in energy consumption efficiency, introducing technical support, upgrading workers' capabilities in mills, and providing financial packages.

"The latest estimations indicate that Egypt has about a million engines with an installment capacity exceeding 17 gigawatts. The industrial sector accounts for 86 percent of this capacity, while engine systems are consuming 60 percent of the total electricity demand in Egypt," Taha clarified.

The head of the developmental projects sector at the trade ministry, Sherine Khallaf, said the project complemented works on the energy efficiency project in the industry sector, implemented in 2018, as well as the project enhancing the use of solar energy in heating in industrial operations, expected to be finalised in early 2021.