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Egypt's PM orders fuel to stop load-shedding this summer

Mostafa Mdbouly, Egypt's Prime Minister, said Thursday that Egypt has purchased all the fuel needed to stop power outages this summer.

A heatwave has exacerbated the power shortages in this North African nation. To end the power cuts, it will need to import natural gas and mazut oil worth around $1.18billion.

Madbouly told a press briefing that he hoped to announce the end of power cuts next week. "We hope the crisis will be over before the end of the year," Madbouly said at a press conference.

"We were able to secure the resources, in dollars. We needed around $1.2 billion. This is not a small amount."

"Contracts will be signed in July and/or August to allow for the arrival of shipments. Payments will also take place in July and/or August." "Some of these shipments are already here," he stated.

Egypt started accumulating arrears due to contractors and companies during the long-running shortage of foreign currency after the COVID-19 epidemic.

The government announced in March that it has begun paying back what it owes foreign oil and natural gas companies that operate in Egypt. This follows a reduction in the supply of fuel following an investment deal with a record value, a devaluation, and the expansion of Egypt’s current International Monetary Fund program.

Karim Badawi, the country's newly appointed petroleum minister, told ExtraNews that his ministry would work with foreign companies to settle arrears they owe them.

Egypt purchased 20 LNG cargos in June. This was its largest purchase of this seaborne fuel. The goal was to meet the heavy summer demand between July and September.

The spokesperson for the Petroleum Ministry told the state news agency MENA on Monday that 21 liquefied gas cargos will arrive in Egypt this summer in addition to shipments mazut fuel.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said that the first gas shipment arrived Monday. It is now being discharged into the national grid. The report was written by Nayera Awadalla and Nadine Abdallah; the editing was done by Jason Neely, Alexander Smith and Alexander Smith.

(source: Reuters)