Prime minister blames power cuts on vandalism, poor maintenance

Electricity towers were subjected to 300 acts of vandalism throughout the last month, decreasing electricity generation by 10 to 15 percent, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb said in a press conference held on Saturday, explaining the reasons behind frequent power cuts nationwide.

Mehleb added that those responsible for the vandalism are attempting to handicap the state, that the government will be able to fight back using the law, state-owned Al-Ahram reported.

Other reasons for the power cuts, which have become one of the main grievances of Egyptian citizens in recent months, include the fact that 27 percent of power stations are over 20 years old and have not been properly maintained, affecting their capacity, he said.

Additionally, Mehleb explained that due to shortages, Egypt has had to replace natural gas used in power stations with diesel and petrol, which has decreased the stations’ capacity. The heat and the delay in the opening of new power stations is also part of the problem, Mehleb stated.

The Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday that it had uncovered six terrorist cells associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, that attack electricity towers. Ministry Spokesperson Hany Abdel Latif said that the cells operate in six governorates and that some of their 40 members have been arrested and the rest are being pursued, state-owned EgyNews reported.

Mehleb said that a team of electricity experts are now assessing the situation and designing a plan for maintenance and reparation of damaged power stations.