Egypt will begin limiting electricity consumption, which will require stores and cafes to close early due to a sharp rise in global fuel prices amid the US and Israeli war with Iran, Bloomberg reported.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that as of March 28, shopping malls, restaurants and shops will have to close at 21:00 five days a week. On weekends it will close at 22:00. Bloomberg points out that for a country where it is customary to shop and eat after midnight, even such a restriction would still be noticeable.
In addition, energy saving measures include turning off the backlighting of billboards and reducing street lighting to a safe minimum. Many government offices will close by 6 p.m., and authorities are considering a mandatory move to remote work for one or two days a week in both the public and private sectors.
“We need to start reducing the amount of fuel and electricity consumption,” Madbouly said. According to him, these measures will be reviewed within a month, and “God willing, if the crisis ends,” they will be cancelled.
Egypt relies heavily on imported natural gas to generate electricity. According to Madbouly, before the war with Iran, the country’s monthly gas import costs were about $560 million. It has now reached approximately $1.65 billion due to rising prices.