Egypt Turns to Mazut Amid Summer Energy Crisis

Egypt's summer energy gap has forced the government to adopt a temporary stopgap strategy. With natural gas production declining and increased residential cooling demand, the country is struggling to meet its electricity needs.

The government has turned to heavy fuel oil, or mazut, as an emergency thermal backstop for power plants. According to Mohamed Atia, Process Engineer at the Egyptian Refining Company (ERC), natural gas consumption by electricity generation accounts for around 60-65% of Egypt's total natural gas use.

The temporary reliance on mazut has shifted part of the energy burden to industry through higher fuel costs and lower operational efficiency. 'From an energy security perspective, fuel oil (mazut) is more reliable than natural gas during geopolitical tensions not because it is a superior fuel, but because its supply is more resilient and less vulnerable to disruption,' said Atia.

Despite ongoing tensions in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Egypt's petroleum sector has bolstered its strategic reserves of petroleum products. Current stocks of mazut are sufficient to meet the country's needs for up to three months, with around 800,000 tons currently stockpiled.