Total Power Outage Hits Egypt’s Hurghada

A major power outage hit all of Hurghada city, one of Egypt’s top tourist destinations, on Friday two weeks after the country had witnessed a nationwide power outage.

The blackout has affected tourist resorts as well as vital institutions, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

The head of the electricity sector in the Red Sea governorate, Shoukry Youssef, said that the reasons behind the outage are currently being investigated.

Hurghada was one of the spots affected by a major nationwide power outage that hit the country on 4 September, halting Cairo metro lines and putting television stations off air.

An expert committee delegated to investigate the major outage presented its report to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last week, saying the incident was caused by a technical error.

Egypt has been facing a power crisis in recent years, but cuts have increased this summer.

Earlier in September, El-Sisi said LE130 billion-worth of investment was required to resolve the crisis.

He added that the country’s electricity sector has suffered for decades from a lack of development and that its power plants need major renovation to create an adequate power system nationwide.

He said the government is seeking investments to help overcome the problem, and urged Egyptians to be patient.

Source : Ahram online