According to a presidential statement, El-Sisi gave his directives on Wednesday in a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, as the government has suspended its load-shedding programme throughout the summer.

Last week, Madbouly announced the daily power cuts, initiated by the government last summer, will be halted from 21 July until mid-September.

The government has implemented a load-shedding programme to reduce the pressure on power grids.

According to the cabinet, power cuts were instigated by a shortage in the fuel required for power stations and surges in local consumption rates amid the scorching heat.

In June, Madbouly said the state will import mazut and natural gas shipments valued at around $1.18 billion to stop nationwide power cuts till the end of summer.

Additionally, he pledged that the electricity crisis would be completely resolved by the end of 2024.

Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi attended Wednesday’s meeting with El-Sisi to review energy sector files.

During the meeting, they reviewed exerted efforts to provide petroleum products for the electricity sector, which have assisted in halting the load-shedding programme throughout the summer.

They also highlighted their intensive work according to a specific timeline to completely resolve this issue, shedding light on regional and international instability and its potential impact on the energy sector.

Pinning hopes on renewables
 

The meeting also included discussions on renewable energy projects, on which the state is pinning hopes to help bridge the gap between energy production and local consumption.

Furthermore, El-Sisi directed them to intensify efforts to implement solar and wind energy projects to expand the electricity grid’s capacities.

These endeavours aim to meet the increasing local energy consumption needs of individuals and industries while reducing the demand for gas and fossil fuels.

They also align with the state's commitment to transitioning towards clean energy to combat the adverse effects of climate change.

In a recent meeting with Emirati officials, Madbouly highlighted collaboration with the United Arab Emirates to add around 4 GW of renewable energy to the power grid by next summer.

UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Jaber and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi attended that meeting.

On a separate note, Madbouly said the daily consumption rate has recently exceeded 37.5 GW, an increase of over 12 percent compared to 2023.