Sisi reviews energy, water, debt plans with Cabinet
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and senior ministers on Tuesday to review Egypt’s renewable energy expansion, green hydrogen projects, desalination plans, and efforts to reduce public-sector debt.
Sisi followed up on the implementation of a 200-megawatt wind power plant in the Gulf of Suez, which is intended to help raise the share of renewable energy in Egypt’s energy mix to 45 per cent by 2028, from a previous target of 42 per cent by 2030, the presidency said.
Electricity Minister Mahmoud Esmat said the ministry had recently signed a contract to reinforce the national grid with a new 500-kilovolt overhead transmission line to carry wind power from the Gulf of Suez to consumption areas across the country.
The meeting also reviewed efforts to expand electricity generation from renewable sources, increase battery-based energy storage and strengthen the infrastructure needed to support these projects, alongside international cooperation and partnerships.
Esmat presented a number of renewable energy generation and battery storage projects that are under implementation, ongoing, or targeted to begin operation in the coming period.
Sisi stressed the need to develop a more diversified and sustainable energy mix to strengthen energy security, reduce emissions, make optimal use of natural resources and lower reliance on fossil fuels.
The meeting reviewed the implementation status of green hydrogen projects and seawater desalination schemes, including a planned integrated desalination complex in Dabaa that will rely on advanced technologies and specialised expertise.
It also covered other desalination projects being developed through existing power stations in cooperation with specialised international partners. The projects aim to provide sustainable sources of desalinated water and localise the technologies and industries associated with them, the presidency said.
Sisi also reviewed efforts to develop domestic manufacturing in the black sands sector and increase the value added from these industries, citing their economic importance.
He called for localising industries related to black sands and rare elements and turning Egypt’s natural resources into higher-value industrial products rather than relying solely on their extraction and use in raw form.
Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk briefed the meeting on the latest economic and fiscal developments, efforts to address current global economic challenges, cooperation with international financial institutions, and measures to reduce the debt of public budget entities.
Sisi stressed that lowering public-sector debt remained a priority and called for coordinated action across state institutions to support the government’s debt-reduction plans, the presidency said.