Electricity in Egypt: “From Crisis into Phenomenon”

Abstract

Summary form only given, as follows. The complete presentation was not made available for publication as part of the conference proceedings. From 2011 to 2013, and due to the political and economic turbulences back then, the electricity demand overcame the generated capacity. Egypt suffered the toughest Electricity shortage crisis in its recent history. By 2014, the political leadership has placed the issue of electricity as its priority and considering the provision of electricity as a matter of national security, and what happened next is a Phenomenon by all means. The government's plan to develop electricity was prepared on short and medium term. The short-term plan was an emergency plan of generating 3,650 MW. Under presidential direct support and supervision along with Ministers of Electricity, Defense, Petroleum and Finance they joined force to implement the emergency plan depending on and trusting the national companies to achieve these 3,650 MW projects in 8.5 months throw 8 power plants like Sharm Sheikh Power Plant with capacity 288 MW, Attaqa Power Plant with total capacity 640 MW, Mahmoudia Power Plant with total capacity 330 MW, etc… and the result was that the cutoff of the electricity was never repeated by the summer of 2015. The country leadership did not stop there, they continue with the medium-term plan achieving the three giant combined cycle plants of New Administrative Capital, Beni Suef and Burullus with a capacity of 4,800 MW each and in a record of 2 years. In addition to the biggest solar power plant in the whole world in Benban with a total capacity of 1.8 GW of renewable energy. Achieving this Phenomenon was the result of brilliant value engineering, planning, fast-track operation and resources optimization of the reliable national private companies with the full support of all related governmental key authorities. Achieving this Phenomenon proved that Egyptian private sector is technically and financially capable to take full responsibility of Egypt's Mega projects. In Madkour, we are proud of being one of the key national private sector players. As we successfully executed thousands of Megawatts in a world-record fast-track project execution. Together the Egyptian Government with the National private sector companies -in less than 4 years- increased the Electrical capacity of Egypt to more than 50,000 MW. Now, we have surplus capacity for future industrial, agricultural and infrastructure unlimited development and we export electricity to several countries in the region. Since 2015, and after securing the generation sector, the government with the private sector concentrated on the transmission and distribution sector. Together we built tens of substations, thousands of kilometers of transmission lines electrifying hundreds of Egyptian cities and villages, reaching many remote areas for the first time. It took us less than 8 years to go “From Crisis into Phenomenon”.