'Future of Energy in Egypt' conference to be held 17 February

The Egyptian Businessmen's Association (EBA) and state-run Al-Ahram will host a conference to discuss the country's mounting energy crisis later this month.

The conference, entitled "The Future of Energy in Egypt," will be held in the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek, under the patronage of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, on 17 February at 9am.

The day-long conference will be attended by Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker and Minister of Petroleum Sherif Ismail and will tackle such issues as Egypt's national strategy for reforming energy subsidies and diversifying its energy sources in a series of workshops attended by international experts, conference organisers announced Sunday.

Egypt, which relies on natural gas for 90 percent of its electric power generation, has gone from being a net-exporter of gas to a net-importer in recent years, as exploration and production has failed to keep pace with rising domestic demand.

EBA head Hussein Sabbour stressed the importance of outlining a clear long-term strategy for meeting Egypt's energy needs in order to attract investors, notably at the much-publicised March economic conference.