Mediterranean Action Plan

260
ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
for this purpose headed by the Minister of State for Environmental Affaires and assisted by a
technical group constituted of representatives of all concerned ministries.
Energy is a major component of any national sustainable development strategy. The
sustainability of energy calls for a sustainable long term vision for the energy supply/demand
balance scenarios including maximizing the use of all available renewable resources, as well
as setting quantitative targets and necessary mechanisms to insure the rational use of all
energy resources. An integral part of the energy sustainability is to minimize its negative
impact on the environment.
In general all these features of energy sustainability are presently being addressed in Egypt,
although are not always set and performed through a well defined and declared strategy. So
far, this situation is expected to change with the declaration of the National Sustainable
Development Strategy, as well as the formulation of the Supreme Council of Energy late
2006.
Conventional energy planning approaches in Egypt were mainly looking into the
augmentation of supply to meet increasing lump sum aggregated demand for each
commercial energy form in the energy supply matrix. The used quantitative planning tools
aiming at increasing the supply resources to meet the growing aggregated demand give
minimal or even no consideration in order to avoid energy degradation through the
appropriateness of the provided energy form to each specific "energy service". This "energy
service" is the ultimate targeted need to be satisfied optimally through the whole energy
chain of primary energy production, conversion, transmission/distribution, and end-use. One
clear example of this issue is the current practice of forecast for the electricity demand in
residential and commercial sectors which can not differentiate between deferent portions of
the electric load being used for lighting (for example) and that used to meet the hot water
demand through electric water heating. For the first use electricity is the most appropriate
form, however for the later use natural gas and solar energy or a combination of both of them
are much more appropriate to avoid energy degradation.
The integrity of a detailed vision for the energy services demand matrix in the country that
should be tied and matched to the available energy resources matrix, will lead to the
avoidance of energy degradation, the encouragement of the wide spread use of renewable
energy applications, and a higher rational use of all available energy resources. This kind of
strategy framework notion would need a new planning approach that can consider the
energy sector in Egypt through an integral context.
It is believed that the environmental challenges facing Egypt and the increasing debate on
how far the country is on a sustainable energy appropriate path, will lead sooner or later to
accelerate the implementation of a long term integrated national energy vision and strategy,
along with relevant plans of actions.
The momentum of tackling the environmental concerns in Egypt is gradually increasing
through legislations and regulations, government programs and policies, adoption of
international conventions and protocols, technical and financial support from international
organizations, and recently the involvement of Egyptian civil society and non-governmental
organizations. This momentum draws the attention of the developers of the anticipated
"National Sustainable Development Strategy" to set national quantifiable targets based on
realistic specialized studies in all related sectors and to formulate these targets in a way that
permits its easy monitoring and assessment during the implementation of this strategy.
The measures encouraging the rational use of energy (RUE) should be one of the principal
components of the "Egyptian sustainable development strategy". Improving energy efficiency
both by reducing quantities of energy consumed and by changing processes, offers a
powerful tool for achieving sustainable development by reducing the need for investment in
energy infrastructure, by cutting fuel costs, by increasing competitiveness for businesses and
thus seeking welfare for consumers and the whole community. RUE can further create
environmental benefits through reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and local air
pollutants. It can offer social benefits in the form of enhanced energy security for current and
future generations as well as enhanced energy services.