Sunday 21/December/2025 – 10:40 PM
Mansour Abdel Ghani, spokesman for the Ministry of Electricity, revealed shocking numbers related to the extent of infringements on the national grid, stressing that the percentage of electrical power losses reached less than 18%, of which only 7% represents natural technical losses, while the remaining 11% goes to “Commercial lossOr what is known as current theft.
Abdel-Ghani explained, in a television interview, that stealing electricity means the entry and exit of huge loads without planning or study, which causes network instability and a decline in the quality of service provided to obligated citizens, stressing that these illegal practices place enormous technical pressure on the main transformers and distributors.
He pointed out that the electricity sector currently has an updated and developed database that includes all subscribers’ data and their consumption patterns, which allows identifying the areas witnessing the highest rates of theft with high accuracy. He explained that the Ministry installed smart meters on the main distributors to calculate the amount of current delivered to each region and compare it to the amount actually sold to citizens, which clearly reveals the amount of wasted current. He pointed out that the state has used private international companies that possess advanced technology to predict loads and combat losses, as some of these companies are responsible for entire governorates such as Port Said to control this phenomenon.
Increasing penalties for crimes of misappropriation of public funds
In response to questions about the need to tighten penalties, Mansour Abdel Ghani stressed that the theft of electricity is a full-fledged “crime” that harms the national economy, citing the existence of a report of the theft of electricity from a factory whose value alone amounted to 211 million pounds. He stressed that this huge number explains why it was necessary to tighten legislation to deter violators, especially in the major industrial and commercial sectors that illegally seize huge amounts of energy. He explained that the state attaches utmost importance to improving energy efficiency and protecting resources, and will not tolerate any manipulation that affects the stability of the service or wastes state funds.
In a related context, the spokesman indicated that the Ministry has so far succeeded in installing 20 million prepaid meters out of a total of 45 million meters in the sector, while the plan to expand the installation of “card” and “smart” meters continues to ensure accurate accounting. This strategic plan aims to gradually eliminate human interference in meter reading and reduce opportunities for tampering, ensuring the recovery of state dues and improving the financial solvency of the electricity sector. By 2026, the Ministry looks forward to reducing commercial loss rates to their lowest levels, which will contribute directly to stabilizing the electricity supply and providing financial surpluses for the development of the national grid.
