Tuesday 27/January/2026 – 03:51 PM
A source in the Ministry confirmed electricity And renewable energy, amending some provisions of the Electricity Law aims to confront the noticeable increase in commercial loss rates in the national grid, which results from the difference between the quantities of electricity purchased from production stations and those sold to subscribers, as a result of obtaining current without registering it in the meters and not paying its value.
Source: Tightening the electricity law to combat power theft with the implementation of combined meters
The source explained, in statements to Cairo 24, that commercial loss represents one of the most serious challenges facing the electricity sector, because it has a direct impact on the financial liquidity allocated for maintenance, replacement, and renewal work, pointing out that loss rates in some distribution companies have reached about 25%, with a financial value exceeding 22 billion pounds, despite the huge investments that the state has pumped into developing the electrical network.
He pointed out that the continuation of power thefts leads to unplanned loads on the network, which negatively affects the stability of the power supply and the quality of service provided to citizens who are committed to paying electricity bills regularly, which necessitated legislative intervention to control the system and achieve justice among subscribers.
The source added that the Ministry is currently implementing a number of technical measures, including installing combined meters in some residential areas to monitor places with high rates of thefts, but he described these measures as insufficient on their own and do not fully address the roots of the problem.
Legislative representatives initially approve amendments to the Electricity Law
The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives approved in principle the amendments to the electricity law submitted by the government, with approval from 12 members and rejection from 9 members of the parliamentary committee.
Counselor Mohamed Eid Mahjoub, Chairman of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, postponed discussion of the articles of the draft law, until the Minister of Electricity presents all the statements to the representatives who rejected the draft law in principle.
Representative Taher Al-Khouly, Undersecretary of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, said that the amendments to the Electricity Law presented by the government include increasing penalties for crimes of theft of electricity and organizing controls for reconciliation.
Dr. Mahmoud Esmat, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, had indicated that the Ministry continued to work to reduce electrical losses and confront infringements on the current, as records of violations were issued with a total capacity of 4.6 billion kilowatt-hours, worth 23.5 billion pounds, of which 13.5 billion pounds were collected, equivalent to 2.6 billion kilowatt-hours.
