Egypt cabinet to discuss privatising electricity transmission

Egypt’s government is set to discuss establishing an independent entity for the transmission of electricity in a move that would allow private sector participation in the market, so that businesses can sell electricity directly to the consumer at market price, says an official.

The plan is to change the electricity market from the current single buyer model, by which the state-owned electricity transmission company (EETC) operates the national grid by buying the electricity from producers then selling it to consumers at government-subsidised prices.

The cabinet will discuss a new electricity law on Wednesday designed to open up the electricity market to the private sector, Hafez El Salmawy, head of the Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency (Egyptera) told Ahram Online on the sidelines of the Future of Energy in Egypt conference, hosted by Al Ahram and EBA on Tuesday.