Arab News: Egypt has ordered early closures of shops and restaurants and introduced partial remote working in a bid to curb energy consumption, as higher global fuel costs and regional conflicts strain the country’s import bill.
Under directives issued by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, commercial establishments including malls, restaurants, and public venues must close by 9:00 p.m., with extended hours until 10:00 p.m. on weekends and public holidays, according to the State Information Service.
The prime minister also mandated that both the public and private sectors work remotely every Sunday, starting April 1, for one month, with factories, water, gas, and sanitation services, as well as hospitals, schools, and universities, exempt from this decision.
The measures underscore mounting pressure on Egypt’s economy from rising energy prices, which have driven up import costs and prompted authorities to cut consumption without disrupting growth.
Madbouly said the country’s energy import bill more than doubled from $1.2 billion in January to $2.5 billion in March, driven by sharp increases in global fuel, petroleum, liquefied natural gas, and crude oil prices amid the regional war.
Governments globally are adopting similar steps to manage energy demand amid heightened uncertainty around supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit route for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
India has redirected liquefied petroleum gas supplies from industrial users to households and asked refiners to maximize output, while Myanmar has introduced fuel rationing for private vehicles. The Philippines has proposed a four-day workweek for most public sector employees to reduce energy use.
In a release, Egypt’s State Information Service, stated: “The decision mandates that sports clubs, popular clubs, company and factory clubs, youth centers, and community development centers close daily at 9 PM, except on Thursdays, Fridays, public holidays, and official occasions when the closing time will be 10:00 pm.”
It added: “The decision does not apply to grocery stores, supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies, or tourist-licensed restaurants and cafes at airports, seaports, and train stations. It also exempts some night activities, such as fruit and vegetable stores, poultry shops, and wholesale markets.”
Madbouly said that the government reviewed the regional situation and its economic impact, stressing that early steps were taken to secure the availability of goods and services during the Eid holiday.
He added that markets remain stable, with sufficient supply and balanced prices, noting that recent increases in some commodities were temporary and have already begun easing.
The prime minister further said that the government will continue to take balanced steps based on developments to maintain stability and support economic activity despite ongoing challenges.
To conserve fuel, the government has also ordered a temporary slowdown of major projects for two months to save diesel and petrol, while all government agencies and institutions have been directed to reduce their consumption of petroleum products by 30 percent, Reuters reported.
Separately, Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Esmat, said that the state is implementing a comprehensive plan to develop the electricity sector and improve energy efficiency, while ensuring service sustainability and addressing the steadily rising demand for power.
Esmat said that expanding infrastructure, including new substations and transmission lines, has led to some technical losses, but the country’s efforts have helped losses drop significantly from 30–40 percent in some areas to around 18 percent.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2638031/business-economy
