Egypt

Daylight saving time uncertain to help energy crisis

Though many in the Ministry of Electricty disagree over the effectiveness of daylight saving time, the Cabinet said in a statement that it was forced to reinstate daylight saving time in order to take advantage of the extra hour in the daytime due to the energy crisis.

Ministry of Electricity sources described the Cabinet decision to reinstate the daylight saving time, as of mid-May, as "not useful for the sector."

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity on the other hand said that the decision has many positive aspects. Sources at the Ministry of Electricity said former Electricity Minister Hassan Younis had submitted an official memorandum to former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's Cabinet stating that the daylight saving time slightly helps the sector as it saves between 100 to 150 MW only.

According to the Cabinet decision to return the daylight saving time, the peak electricity usage will be for example at 7pm instead of 6pm, said Electricity Minister spokesperson Mohamed al-Yamany.

The sources pointed out that the daylight saving time would be affective if the behavior of citizens changed, as studies have shown that 50 percent of the energy consumed in Egypt is consumed during the 5 months of summer and the rest is distributed on the other 7 months.

The sources said that the goal of the daylight saving time change is to take advantage of daylight and add an hour to the day in the morning. In order for the measure to be effective, citizens should keep their appointments as they are, the sources said.

However, electricity consumption remains the same because malls and shops change their timing of closure from 12am to 1am, as well as employees at companies and factories.

Spokesperson for the prime minister Hosam al-Qaweesh said on Wednesday, the daylight saving time would be applied starting Thursday, 15 May. He added it would be suspended during the month of Ramadan.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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