Egypt.. Mostafa Madbouly: State to Bear Energy Price Increases Instead of Burdening Citizens - Sarmad

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly affirmed that the state has chosen to absorb the increase in energy prices rather than passing them on to citizens, denying reports of planned power outages lasting six to eight hours daily to conserve electricity.

This statement was made during the session “The Egyptian Energy Journey: National Achievements and Future Prospects,” held as part of the “Egypt Forum 2026” events. During the session, Madbouly outlined several scenarios proposed for addressing rising energy costs: the first involves passing the full cost increase onto citizens; the second entails the state absorbing the entire increase, which would require securing the necessary financial resources or resorting to borrowing; and the third involves maintaining the financial allocations specified in the budget while purchasing petroleum products at new prices within the limits of available resources, potentially meeting only 50% to 60% of citizens’ needs.

The government media center clarified that this final scenario might force the state to implement more difficult measures, including rolling blackouts lasting between six and eight hours daily. It emphasized that mentioning this possibility was part of reviewing proposed scenarios and options, not an announcement of a decision to implement it.