From Reuters:
Egypt’s natural gas production fell to a three-year low in the first five months of 2023, figures from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI) show, raising questions about the country’s efforts to position itself as a regional energy hub.
Currently the country is grappling with power shortages when a heatwave has driven up demand for cooling.
Gas production between January and May declined by 9% year-on-year and 12% when compared to the same period in 2021.
Human Rights Watch issued a statement on the chronic electricity cuts Egypt is currently witnessing, rightly pointing to the classist nature of the government’s crisis management.
The cuts appear to last longer in rural areas, which have higher poverty rates, and have left many people without power amid soaring temperatures, hindering their ability to perform their jobs, including for some medical workers, and limiting access to water. The government should recognize everyone’s right to clean, accessible, and affordable electricity.
Meanwhile, a cabinet spokesperson had the audacity to publicly state that coastal resorts and tourist places will not face electricity cuts “so as not to tarnish Egypt’s image in front of the tourists.”
