{"id":18780,"date":"2024-01-03T16:30:40","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T14:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=18780"},"modified":"2026-10-09T03:58:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T01:58:04","slug":"newsletter-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/newsletter-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Electricity, Metro, Internet, Telecom, Heater and Cement Prices Rise, and Sayed Moshagheb Detained in a New Case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Household and Commercial Electricity Prices Rise<\/h3>\n

The government raised electricity prices for household consumption by between 8% and 21%, for the first time in 18 months, according to data from the Electricity Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency.<\/p>\n

The largest increase was on the low-consumption tiers from 0 to 100 kilowatts, as prices for the 0 to 50 kilowatt tier rose 21% to 58 piastres, and the 51 to 100 kilowatt tier by about 17% to 68 piastres. The lowest increase was for the zero to 200 kilowatt tier, at about 8%, to 83 piastres, and the 351 to 650 kilowatt tier, rising by about 9% to 140 piastres.<\/p>\n

According to the agency’s data, the selling prices of extra-high and high voltage electricity rose 53% for the Kima fertiliser factories, to 100 piastres, the cost for the metro reached 110 piastres, an increase of 10%, and the cost for other subscribers about 127 piastres, an increase of 21%. Meanwhile, high voltage electricity prices for the metro rose 16% to 126.9 piastres, and 20.3% for other subscribers to 132.3 piastres. This is the first adjustment of the tiers in 18 months, as the government postponed raising prices more than once to ease the burden on citizens.<\/p>\n

The government continues to fix the cost of electricity supplied to the industrial sector until the end of the subsidy removal plan, scheduled to be completed in 2024-2025. The Ministry of Electricity revealed in its response to a House of Representatives inquiry last September that the actual cost per kilowatt is about 177.5 piastres in the current fiscal year, based on a dollar exchange rate of EGP 30.8. Electricity production in Egypt relies on natural gas for 79%, and the sector obtains gas at $3 per million thermal units, which means its cost has doubled since March 2022, the period in which the dollar rose by about 50% against the pound.<\/p>\n

The increase came as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

Electricity tiers for commercial shops came as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

A government document issued last November stated that the cost of electricity subsidies borne by the state amounts to about EGP 79.8 billion in the current fiscal year, driven by the postponement of price increases to the second half of the fiscal year. Egypt’s budget deficit doubled in the first 5 months of the current fiscal year to reach 5.5% of GDP, due to rising interest costs and, to a lesser extent, salary and subsidy costs. The government is seeking to limit the increase in its spending to control the growing deficit and achieve fiscal discipline.<\/p>\n

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Electricity Tariffs Will Rise if the Dollar Rate Rises<\/h3>\n

The Electricity Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency said the new electricity prices are applied according to the exchange rate announced by the Central Bank (EGP 30.9 to the dollar), and that the tariff will be reconsidered if the exchange rate changes. The Egyptian currency is expected to be devalued in banks soon, since the rate offered in banks is one that Egyptian banks themselves do not recognise, as they refuse to meet the requests of those wishing to buy dollars from them, claiming they lack foreign currency, so those wishing to buy dollars resort to the black market, where the dollar reached EGP 52.67 for buying and EGP 53.59 for selling in its last transactions last Friday.<\/p>\n

The Electricity Regulatory Agency added that the tariff is also applied on the basis of the subscriber’s maximum load every three months, and the time of use according to the smart meter programme, with a 4-hour peak period whose start is set by the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.<\/p>\n

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The New Daytime Power Cut Plan<\/h3>\n

The government decided to implement the electricity load-shedding plan during the day rather than at night with the start of exams, beginning today, Wednesday, in response to requests from members of parliament, according to a statement issued by the cabinet. The load-shedding period is to be compressed to run from 11 am to 5 pm, with the ministry announcing load-shedding schedules for each area (two hours per area), so that the load-shedding period ends at 5 pm.<\/p>\n

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New Metro Ticket Prices After the Increase<\/h3>\n

The Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation applied an increase in metro ticket prices with the start of operations on the first day of the new year.<\/p>\n

The change in metro ticket prices came as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir commented on the increase in metro tickets, saying it came to cover operating expenses, including spare parts whose value rose because of the dollar, in addition to increasing the wages of the utility’s workers in implementation of the state’s decisions to raise workers’ wages.<\/p>\n

The minister said the metro is an economic utility and therefore pays its workers’ wages from its main resources, which are tickets, and that wages in the state have risen more than once while the ticket price has not moved since 2019.<\/p>\n

The minister explained that salaries in Egypt have increased since 2019 by more than 100%, and the Ministry of Transport raised metro ticket prices starting on Monday, with ticket categories divided according to the number of stations used into 4 zones, starting at EGP 6 and reaching EGP 15 for the highest category.<\/p>\n

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Home Internet Prices Rise<\/h3>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

Telecom Egypt “We”, the main operator of home internet services, decided on Tuesday to raise the prices of home internet packages, with the new increase to be applied from 5 January, while allowing free browsing of educational websites and government service websites.<\/p>\n

According to the new prices, “the price of the 140 GB home internet package rose from EGP 120 to EGP 160, an increase of EGP 40; the 200 GB package increased from EGP 170 to EGP 225, an increase of EGP 55; the 250 GB package rose from EGP 210 to EGP 280, and the 400 GB package from EGP 340 to EGP 440; the price of the 600 GB package reached EGP 650 instead of EGP 500, and the price of the 1 TB package was moved from EGP 800 to EGP 1,050”.<\/p>\n

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A 70% Rise in Electric Heater Prices<\/h3>\n

Electric heater prices<\/a> rose by between 60% and 70% compared with the previous season, due to the rise in production input prices and the dollar’s value in the markets, along with rising and changing shipping prices as a result of the political tensions the market is currently witnessing, according to the Al-Masry Al-Youm website.<\/p>\n

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Cement Prices Rise<\/h3>\n

Cement prices saw increases at the start of this week of between EGP 150 and EGP 200 per tonne, due to a shortage of local supply and companies’ fears of any new increases in manufacturing inputs.<\/p>\n

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Mobile Companies Raise “Monthly Bill” Prices by an Average of 15%<\/h3>\n

Sources at mobile companies said the prices of packages, which include “fakka” small top-up cards as well as monthly bills, increased by between 10% and 15%. The sources added to “Al Borsa” that regular recharge cards and the prices of minutes themselves have not risen.<\/p>\n

Since yesterday, the companies have begun notifying their customers subscribed to billing plans of the increase in the value of bills to be issued from next February. Sources at the companies had said they submitted requests to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority to increase the prices of the services they provide to deal with the increase in costs that occurred during 2023.<\/p>\n

The last increase in the companies’ service prices took place in 2017, and the companies say they suffer from increased costs of investing in network upgrades.<\/p>\n

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Madbouly: Prices of 7 Strategic Commodities to Be Announced in Application of the Consumer Protection Law<\/h3>\n

Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly issued a decree setting prices for 7 strategic commodities as a first phase, and their consumer selling prices will be announced.<\/p>\n

The commodities are sugar, rice, pasta, dairy, white cheese, blended oil and fava beans.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

This comes in application of the consumer protection law, which prohibits withholding these commodities and products from circulation, whether by hiding them, not offering them for sale, refusing to sell them or in any other way, for a period of six months starting from the date the decree comes into force, or until further notice, whichever is sooner.<\/p>\n

The decree obliges holders of the 7 commodities for other than personal use, among producers, suppliers, distributors, sellers and the like, to promptly notify the competent directorates of supply and internal trade across the republic of the type and quantities of these commodities they may have in storage, and to adhere to the supply controls and procedures to be set by a decision of the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade.<\/p>\n

The prime minister pointed out that the government does not intervene in setting the product’s price and that the matter is left to the factory, but that to control prices from the factory to the consumer, a mechanism will be put in place to set the consumer price to ensure the product reaches citizens at the appropriate agreed price.<\/p>\n

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Egypt’s Population Reaches 105.858 Million<\/h3>\n

\"Egypt<\/p>\n

The population clock of the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, linked to the birth and death registration database of the Ministry of Health and Population, announced that the population of the Arab Republic of Egypt inside the country reached 105.858 million on Monday, 1 January 2024.<\/p>\n

The agency added in a statement today, Wednesday, that the population was 104.395 million on Sunday, 1 January 2023, thus achieving a population increase (the difference between the numbers of births and deaths) of 1.463 million during the period from 1\/1\/2023 to 1\/1\/2024 (a calendar year).<\/p>\n

It explained that the rate of natural increase was 1.4% for 2023, as natural increase numbers for 2023 fell by 8% compared with 2022 due to a decline in the number of births during 2023 by about 149,000, or 6.8%, compared with the number of births during 2022, as is clear from the development of the numbers of births, deaths and natural increase during the period (2019-2023).<\/p>\n

It pointed out that the number of births reached 2.044 million during 2023 according to preliminary data recorded in the birth and death database of the Ministry of Health and Population, a decrease of about 149,000 births compared with the previous year 2022 (2.193 million births), as the average number of births was 5,599 a day, that is, 233 births an hour, that is, (3.9) births a minute, meaning one birth every 15.4 seconds.<\/p>\n

It explained that the number of births registered during 2023 was about 2.044 million, with the average number of daily births at 5,599, the average hourly births at 233, the average per minute at 3.9 births, and one birth every 15.4 seconds.<\/p>\n

It pointed out that the birth rate fell, according to preliminary data, from 21.1 per thousand people in 2022 to 19.4 per thousand in 2023, with the governorates of (Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Minya, Luxor) recording the highest birth rates (25, 24, 24, 23, 23) per thousand people respectively, while the governorates of Port Said, Damietta, Dakahlia, Suez and Gharbia recorded the lowest rates (12, 16, 16, 16, 17) per thousand people respectively.<\/p>\n

The agency noted the decline in the number of births over the last 5 years, which reflects the tangible efforts in confronting population growth, as also shown by the data of the 2021 Egypt Family Health Survey, in which the fertility rate fell from 3.5 births per woman in 2014 to 2.85 births per woman.<\/p>\n

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Sayed Moshagheb Detained After Being “Recycled” Into a New Case<\/h3>\n