Several areas in Egypt experienced power outages lasting for hours, coinciding with an intense heat wave sweeping across the country. The Ministry of Electricity raised the state of maximum preparedness to cope with high loads and ensure the stability of the electrical grid.

Outages were recorded in several areas in different governorates, including the Faisal district in Giza Governorate, and Sayyida Aisha in Cairo, along with other areas in some governorates and Upper Egypt, due to emergency technical faults.

A source at the Ministry of Electricity told Sky News Arabia that 'the outages witnessed in some areas over the past hours are primarily due to sudden technical faults affecting some components of distribution networks as a result of high loads and the significant increase in temperatures,' stressing that 'the matter is not related to a shortage of electrical capacity or load shedding.'

The Egyptian government has repeatedly denied moving to implement a load-shedding plan or return to scheduled power cuts, affirming that the national grid is operating stably, and that outages in some areas are due to emergency technical faults resulting from the significant rise in loads and temperatures, which are being dealt with and repaired immediately.

The source explained that the national electricity grid recorded a rise in consumption rates yesterday, with peak load reaching about 38,800 megawatts, an increase of nearly 800 megawatts compared to the previous day, coinciding with the noticeable rise in temperatures, while forecasts indicate that loads will exceed the 39,000 megawatt mark in the coming days.

As part of precautionary measures, the Ministry of Electricity raised the state of preparedness to the maximum level in all electricity distribution companies, intensifying preventive maintenance work, and deploying emergency and rapid intervention teams to ensure rapid handling of any emergency faults and continuity of power supply, especially during evening peak periods.

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Details of the Heat Wave in Egypt

In the same context, Manar Ghanem, a member of the media center at the General Authority of Meteorology, said that the country is experiencing an intense heat wave due to the influence of an upper air high-pressure system, coinciding with the extension of the Indian monsoon depression on the surface, leading to rising temperatures and increased humidity levels, which significantly raises the perceived temperature.

She explained in statements to Sky News Arabia that 'the peak of the heat wave will be on Wednesday and Thursday, especially Thursday, as maximum temperatures in Greater Cairo exceed 39 to 40 degrees Celsius in the shade, while the perceived temperature reaches 41 and 42 degrees Celsius due to the high humidity levels.'

She added that humidity levels exceed 95% on the northern coasts, while ranging between 80 and 85% in Greater Cairo and the Nile Delta, making the perceived temperature about 3 to 4 degrees Celsius higher than recorded.

She pointed out that the current wave is the longest and most severe since the beginning of summer, lasting more than 8 days, confirming that its intensity will begin to break starting next Sunday, with temperatures returning to their normal rates for this time of year, while humidity levels remain high.