The first state-owned plant to manufacture energy-saving light bulbs was inaugurated Thursday in Egypt’s Mediterranean governorate of Alexandria, Youm7 reported.
Minster of Investment Ashraf Salman and Alexandria Governor Hany el-Messiry were present during the inauguration.
“Our company is ready to operate the first state owned energy-saving light bulbs in Egypt, as it was planned in President Abdel Fattah al Sisi’s electoral campaign,” head of the national Al-Nasr Company for Electric and Electronic Devices (NEEASAE), Ahmed Younes told Youm 7.
Younes said that the new factory’s production capacity is up to 500,000 bulbs per year.
“We hope the government could support the new factory and reduce exporting saving light bulbs from abroad,” he added.
Around 600,000 power-saving bulbs were distributed throughout Egypt in 2014 as a part of an initiative launched by the then presidential election candidate Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.
Changing regular lamps with new energy saving bulbs would save 4,000-megawatts, which would save huge amounts of fuel that could be directed to other subsidies in the state’s general budget, former Electricity Minster Mohamed al-Yamani said in press statements in May 2014.
Egypt suffers from chronic power shortages, with frequent powercuts during the summer.
The Egyptian government garnered an estimated $35 to 40 billion dollars in investment pledges being proposed at the Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) in Sharm el-Sheikh in March , but economy experts reckon that successful implementation of these projects will depend on reliable power sources
