The increased electricity demand has strained the country's natural gas network which supplies the power plants.

“We are currently implementing temporary load reductions to reduce pressure on the gas network,” the prime minister said during the weekly cabinet meeting.

Madbouly added that the reductions will continue until the middle of next week.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy stated that national electricity consumption had reached record levels.

“For the first time, electricity loads have reached the maximum consumption level recorded in previous years, reaching 34,650 megawatts, while efforts to stabilize the power supply continue,” the ministry said in a statement.

However, the ministry stated that consumption did not exceed capacity, as the available electrical capacity was 44,900 megawatts, with a reserve capacity of 9,800 megawatts.

A week-old sweltering heat wave has been felt nationwide, with the Egyptian Metrological Authority (EMA) warning people to avoid direct sunlight.

Self-sufficiency
 

Egypt achieved self-sufficiency in electricity in June 2015 and now enjoys an electricity surplus of more than 25 percent.

Before, the country suffered from consistent power outages, especially in the summer months.

Furthermore, in early August 2022, the country launched a plan to reduce local power consumption by cutting the amount of natural gas used in generating electricity in order to direct the savings for export in order to increase levels of foreign currency.

This would generate $450 million per month - $4.5 billion per year, according to government estimates. 

The electricity ministry affirmed that it receives all complaints on their hotline 121, or through their newly launched "Emergency Electricity" application, as well as the Electronic Platform for Unified Electricity Services.