Egypt launches Ain Sokhna power station worth $1.3 bn

A new power station opened in Egypt on Wednesday, adding 1,300 megawatts to the country’s electricity grid at a cost of LE9.6 billion ($1.3 billion).

Egypt’s Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab attended the official opening.

The new station is expected to help reduce Egypt’s power generation gap, as Egyptians move into summer and brace for power cuts.

The station, located in Ain El-Sokhna, east of the capital, started experimental operations in March, according to a ministerial statement.

The project was funded by international organisations, with contributions mounting to $600 million from the World Bank, around $450 from the African Development Bank, $198 million from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and $563 million from state-run electricity company East Delta, according to the Ahram Arabic news website.

Egypt has been suffering from an energy crisis over the past three years, on the back of lower natural gas production and an outdated national grid.

Source:Ahram online