Egypt’s government has decided to raise quantities of natural gas per day to 84 million cubic metres in an attempt to meet the demands of the electricity sector, state-owned Al-Ahram daily newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the rise of natural gas aims at avoiding power outages the country saw over the last week. The total amount consumed daily before the government decision stood at 77 million cubic metres.

Under the decision, the amounts of diesel will be augmented to 22,000 tonnes compared to 17,000 tonnes per day.

The government has approved an additional $200 million for the needed fuel, which is provided for the nationwide power units, Al-Ahram reported.

Egypt has around 220 electricity generators nationwide, which consume roughly 100 million cubic metres of fuel on a daily basis, according to a recent statement by Electricity Minister Ahmed Emam.

Egypt's electricity ministry on Tuesday apologised for a recent spate of nationwide power cuts, which the ministry attributed to ongoing fuel shortages.

In an official statement, the ministry ascribed recent power blackouts to "fuel shortages that have made it difficult for allocated generators to keep up with mounting consumption."