● EGP 100 billion in public investments are allocated to the electricity and renewable energy sector, and EGP 77 billion for the water and wastewater sector in the 2025/2026 plan.
● The share of renewable energy in the energy mix is expected to increase to 16% in the upcoming financial year, compared to 11.5% in the previous financial year.
● 310,000 new housing units will be launched in the upcoming financial year, including 285,000 units for social housing.
● EGP 77 billion in public investments are targeted for the water and wastewater sector.
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, presented the targets for the 2025/2026 plan for the electricity, renewable energy, urban development, housing services, water, and wastewater sectors during her discussion of the main features and objectives of the Economic and Social Development Plan document for 2025/2026, the first year of the medium-term plan (2025/2026-2028/2029), before the House of Representatives, chaired by Dr. Hanafy Gabali, with the participation of the honorable members of the council.
Investments in the Electricity and Renewable Energy Sectors
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat highlighted that, in the field of developing and enhancing the electricity and renewable energy sector, the plan aims to direct EGP 100 billion in public investments, of which approximately EGP 16.4 billion will be allocated to the public sector.
Al-Mashat noted that the plan’s objectives include several national strategic projects in line with the presidential directives and Cabinet instructions. Among the key projects are the electricity supply for the high-speed electric train project (Suez to Matrouh), completing the electricity supply protocol for land reclamation projects in the New Delta, Sinai, Beni Suef, Minya, West Kom Ombo, and North Aswan, and finalizing electricity supply for water wells in the development communities of North and South Sinai. Other projects include the expansion of the 10th of Ramadan and Zahraa Nasr City electrical transformer stations.
The Minister continued to discuss the national projects included in the plan, highlighting the completion of the construction of the new Mallawi electrical transformer station, the rehabilitation of the Matariya transformer station, and the electrical supply projects for the Monorail in New Administrative Capital and Sixth of October. The plan also includes projects for the sustainable development of the “Future Egypt” project, electricity supply for the East Oweinat and Toshka areas, and the third phase of the Light Rail Train (LRT). Additionally, the project for connecting the first phase of the fourth line of the metro with electrical transformer stations is also part of the plan, along with transferring and shifting electricity facilities conflicting with road projects.
Al-Mashat further explained that in terms of developing the use of renewable energy, the projects targeted for the 2025/2026 plan include completing the construction of a 20 MW photovoltaic power generation plant in Hurghada, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The plan also includes six projects to prepare the land for renewable energy projects in areas such as East and West Nile, Gebel El-Zeit, Nagaa Hammadi, Ras Shukeir, South Hurghada, and Benban.
The Minister added that the plan aims to achieve measurable performance indicators, including an increase in the average annual generated electricity to about 235 billion kWh in 2025/2026, compared to 223 billion kWh in 2023/2024. Additionally, it targets reducing energy losses to approximately 13% in the plan's year, compared to 19.4% in 2023/2024. The share of renewable energy in the energy mix is also expected to rise to 16% in 2025/2026, compared to 11.5% in 2023/2024.
Urban Development, Housing, Water, and Sanitation
In the field of urban development, housing services, water, and sanitation, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat emphasized the government's commitment to continuing its efforts to establish new urban communities, exceeding 20 new complexes. The government is also focusing on developing desert areas outside the Nile Valley to accommodate the growing population, alleviate pressure on the capitals and crowded cities, and tackle the issue of informal settlements.
Al-Mashat further stated that through its urban development efforts, the government aims to increase the area of inhabited land in Egypt, define the scope of spatial development to achieve equitable population distribution, and address the exacerbating and urgent urban problems in order to improve the quality of the urban environment. There is also a special focus on developing infrastructure services in rural Egypt.
Regarding housing services, the 2025/2026 plan aims to continue implementing the social housing scheme, support real estate financing, provide land for housing projects at affordable costs, expand the use of clean technologies, and increase recycling projects as part of the transition to a green economy. The plan also encourages private sector participation in real estate projects in collaboration with the government, according to modern construction and management systems.
The plan targets the construction of approximately 285,000 social housing units during the fiscal year, in addition to 11,500 units for middle-income housing and 13,500 units under the "Housing for All Egyptians" program, bringing the total to 310,000 residential units.
Regarding the water supply and sanitation sector, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat highlighted that the public investments directed to this sector for the fiscal year 2025/2026 amount to approximately 77 billion EGP. This includes 27.8 billion EGP for the drinking water sector and 49.2 billion EGP for the sanitation sector, with the presidential directive to include water and sanitation projects within the "Haya Karima" initiative in the general investment plan for water and sanitation facilities.
In terms of improving the quality of drinking water and sanitation services, the 2025/2026 plan focuses on expanding the production capacities of water and sanitation projects, continuing the replacement and renewal of deteriorating networks to reduce water leakage, promoting water conservation, raising network pressures, rehabilitating treatment plants, completing the sewage system in governorates, and expanding the secondary and tertiary treatment of wastewater for safe reuse.
Dr. Al-Mashat further outlined some of the major targets for the 2025/2026 plan, including the completion of 56 water stations with a capacity of one million cubic meters, 135 sanitation projects (for cities and villages), 33 treatment plants with a capacity of 802,000 cubic meters, and 17 desalination plants with a capacity of 455,000 cubic meters. Additionally, the plan includes the completion of 6 water and sanitation projects to serve existing investment projects, the construction of the Bahr El-Baqar wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 5 million cubic meters (secondary treatment), the expansion of the Al-Qantara West wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters, the completion of the rehabilitation of treatment plants for the pollution of Lake Manzala and Lake Edku, and accelerating the completion of the water quality improvement project for Kitchener Drain in the governorates of Gharbia, Dakahlia, and Kafr El-Sheikh. Other initiatives include the replacement of mechanical meters with prepaid meters for government entities.