Egypt’s monthly fuel bill for conventional power plants has climbed to 23 billion Egyptian pounds since the start of 2026, a 21% increase from the same period last year, according to a source familiar with fuel supplies at the Ministry of Petroleum.
The increase reflects a 5% rise in fuel consumption at power stations, driven by higher daily electricity demand and average loads of 33,000 megawatts per day, compared with an average of 28,000 megawatts during January and February of last year, the source said.
The official, who spoke to Al Manassa on condition of anonymity, said power plants are currently receiving about 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and between 6,000 and 7,000 tons of mazut (heavy fuel oil) daily. During the same period in 2025, plants received 2.9 billion cubic feet of gas and about 5,000 tons of mazut per day.
Part of the required gas and mazut is being secured through external import contracts at elevated prices, contributing to the higher monthly procurement costs, the source added.
Domestic gas consumption has reached 6.2 billion cubic feet per day during the current winter, compared with between 5.9 billion and 6 billion cubic feet daily last winter. Consumption rises further in summer, reaching 6.9 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, the source said.
Local gas production stands at around 4.2 billion cubic feet per day, covering roughly 65% of the domestic market’s needs across sectors including industry and electricity generation.
The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy plans to generate 700 megawatts of power from clean energy sources: solar, wind and hydropower, this year replacing low-efficiency conventional plants, according to a separate source familiar with the ministry’s energy production file who previously spoke to Al Manassa.
A committee is monitoring the replacement plans, the source said, aiming to directly reduce reliance on imported fuels, gas and mazut, by about 5% annually. Overall electricity consumption is expected to increase by around 4% by the end of 2026, capacity the ministry intends to offset through domestic production.
