Egypt to see $30bn investment in coal industry by 2020: Minister

Egypt expects to see $30 billion worth of investments in the coal industry in the coming five years, Investment Minister Ashraf Salman said on Tuesday.

For the coming 10 years, the government plans an energy mix in which coal contributes 8,000 megawatts to an overall electricity production of 30,000 megawatts, Salman was quoted as saying by state news agency MENA.

In April, the government approved amendments to the environment law allowing for the use of coal for power generation.

The government is interested in depending on coal as an alternative energy source for electricity production, said Salman, speaking at the 2015 Egyptian Coal Conference.

Egypt suffers from an energy shortage that has hit production in the manufacturing industry and leads to frequent power blackouts, especially in the summer.

Source: Ahram online