Egypt launches Ain Sokhna power station worth $1.3 bn

A new power station opened in Egypt on Wednesday, adding 1,300 megawatts to the country’s electricity grid at a cost of LE9.6 billion ($1.3 billion).

Egypt’s Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab attended the official opening.

The new station is expected to help reduce Egypt’s power generation gap, as Egyptians move into summer and brace for power cuts.

Egypt is expected to increase its power production by 9.6 percent this summer, Shaker said at the opening, according to Aswat Masriya.

By August, the new power plant and other projects should contribute 3,632 additional megawatts to the national grid, he added.

The station, located in Ain El-Sokhna, east of the capital, started experimental operations in March, according to a ministerial statement.

The power plant's opening comes as part of a five-year plan (2012 - 2017) to meet demand for electricity in the country, Shaker said.