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Siemens secures €50mn
deal to upgrade power
utilities for Egypt’s AEDC
EGYPT GERMAN power supply group Siemens has solutions and automation devices assisting
secured a contract worth €50mn to upgrade the AEDC to increase the efficiency of power supply
power distribution management system and and reduce distribution losses.
infrastructure for Egypt’s Alexandria Electricity Siemens will also provide 300,000 smart
Distribution Company (AEDC) to ensure power meters and intelligent field devices to strengthen
efficiency and operational optimisation, accord- AEDC’s metering infrastructure. It will also
ing to a statement on Sunday, September 11. supply the Egyptian firm with an advanced
AEDC is a unit of Egypt’s state-owned utility geographical information system (GIS) for the
Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) electric grid.
and is its power distributor in Alexandria, the The project is expected to finish by early 2025.
country’s second-largest city, with a population Thanks to a contract signed with Siemens
of 5mn people. in 2015, Egypt has added nearly 28.5 GW of
Funded by the Japanese International Coop- generation capacity to its national grid and also
eration Agency (JICA), the project will allow increased its share of renewable energy resources
Siemens to provide control centres, software such as wind and solar facilities over the years.
Malawi orders scrapping of
idle IPP licences
MALAWI MALAWI’S energy minister has ordered a [Lawrence Chakwera] vision has been that of a
government agency responsible for buying and vibrant energy sector but if we cling on to these
selling electricity to revoke licences for all idle idle IPPs then that vision won’t be realised.”
independent power producers (IPPs), local daily, PML is responsible for the buying, selling,
Nyasa Times reports. importation and exportation of electricity. The
Ibrahim Matola made the order to Power country’s installed generating capacity, accord-
Market Limited on September 8 as public frus- ing to Power Africa, a US entity that invests in
tration grew over an intensification of power energy projects on the continent, is 532MW.
blackouts in the southcentral African nation. However, frequent breakdowns of facilities and
About three IPPs are yet to roll out their pro- endemic theft of transmission and distribution
jects despite being issued with licences dating infrastructure impairs the grid’s capacity to meet
back to 2019, the publication writes. demand.
“These idle IPPs are frustrating our efforts In mid-August, Malawians demanded the
to grow the energy sector,” it quoted Matola as sacking of Matola as blackouts were extended
saying. beyond the usual 8 hours daily to as long as 12
They have to go and create space for potential hours.
investors in the energy sector. The president’s
Week 37 15•September•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9
