By: Arab news

Egypt is aiming to achieve a 45 percent renewable energy share by 2028, ahead of the previous 2030 target, the country’s prime minister revealed.

Speaking at a press conference following the weekly Cabinet meeting, Mostafa Madbouly explained that the electricity network is being upgraded to accommodate the additional capacity, at an estimated cost of 160 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.94 billion).

Earlier this year, Deputy Electricity Minister Sabah Mashaly said that the North African country aims to increase the share of new and renewable energy to 42 percent of its total energy mix by 2030, as part of a comprehensive national strategy to achieve energy security and sustainability.

It also reflects the Middle East’s accelerating shift toward renewable energy, with countries aiming to significantly expand clean energy capacity by 2030.

Saudi Arabia is targeting 50 percent of its electricity from renewables by the end of the decade, while the UAE has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Across the region, governments are backing these goals with major investments in solar, wind, and green hydrogen projects.

“We’re currently working on a target of 2028 instead of 2030, and we’re talking about 45 percent. We’re trying to achieve this through major projects we’re working on today,” Madbouly said, adding: “The most important thing alongside these projects is developing and upgrading the grid to handle this. This is a very large project, and we’ve allocated significant resources and a substantial budget for it.”

He continued: “I want to tell you that the cost to accomplish this is 160 billion Egyptian pounds to ensure the grid can handle the new and renewable energy and the large-scale projects that are coming online over the next three years. So, we’re working on an integrated system today to reduce our import bill for fuel and other related items.”

Egypt has allocated 136.3 billion Egyptian pounds to the electricity and renewable energy sector in its 2025-26 development plan, nearly double the 72.6 billion pounds set aside last year, the country’s Ministry of Planning said in September.

The plan emphasized energy diversification, expanding renewable power, and strengthening the national grid to meet rising demand.

Egypt’s regional integration efforts will expand cross-border interconnection capacity to 3,900 megawatts by 2025/2026, up from 780 MW currently.

Key projects include upgraded links with Jordan, Libya, and Sudan, the Saudi interconnection, and a 1,650-km undersea cable with Greece and Cyprus.